


Sandstorm

by CaptainScience



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Splash Free, Anal Sex, Coping, I tagged graphic violence but it's really not that bad, M/M, Oral Sex, Threesome - M/M/M, Trauma, almost entirely Sousuke's POV, guard!Sousuke, mostly just a precaution, pre-established friends-with-benefits sourin, sultan!Rin, traveler!Haru
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-14
Updated: 2017-04-14
Packaged: 2018-10-17 14:29:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10595931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainScience/pseuds/CaptainScience
Summary: It hurts, of course. Everything hurts, from his fingertips to his lashes to the curve of his toes, skin rubbed raw from writhing on the desert sands as he mentally begs for the gods to just please finally take him.It only takes one singular, horrible moment for Sousuke’s life to change forever.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sierra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sierra/gifts).



> Yoooo, look at this, not straight-up RH for the first time ever. Anyways, this is my favorite OT3, even if I've never gotten around to writing it until now, so thanks to the event and Sierra for giving me a reason to finally get it done. I've never really written from Sousuke's POV, especially not this amount of Sousuke's POV, so try to go easy on me, I did my best! Also, I've never written SouHaru, so hopefully I did your favorite pair some justice, Sierra. 
> 
> Another note: I'm going to put more detailed tags in the end notes, for anyone that wants them before reading. Since this is a gift fic for someone, I want them to be surprised (if they so choose), but anyone who may want a heads up can get it. Nothing too bad, honestly, certainly not compared to other things I've written, but I'm going to add them anyways just in case. Enjoy!

_It hurts, of course. Everything hurts, from his fingertips to his lashes to the curve of his toes, skin rubbed raw from writhing on the desert sands as he mentally begs for the gods to just_ please  _finally_ _take him._

_It's absolutely agonizing. And cold._

 

 _So_ terribly _cold._

 

_His skin’s clammy, feels wet, as a bone-deep cold settles over him, breath shallow and weak as he heaves desperately for air._

_He supposes in the long-run this is just about exactly how he thought he’d die. Alone in the desert, surrounded by the corpses of the men he’s failed to protect. It’s hard not to think of Rin, of Gou, of the people he loves who he knows will be devastated when his body is found._

If _it’s found, anyways._

_It’s just as likely that some foraging predator will luck into his corpse first, drawn by the scent of blood and death saturating the air._

_The faint sound of movement off in the distance sloshes through his mind, but he’s so far gone he’s unsure if it’s real or just a sign that he’s finally,_ gratefully _, stumbling into the realm of the dead._

_“S…al…unk…”_

_The closer the sound gets the more sure he is that he’s not dreaming, that, unfortunately, death has refused to come for him quite yet, even as his consciousness begins to fade._

_“Uh…? ‘ive…?”_

_Everything goes black._

\--

Sultan Matsuoka is a quarter of the way through his morning audiences when the door to his throne room swings open unexpectedly. All eyes are on the princess as she bursts into the public meeting room, breath heaving, eyes red and swollen as she gasps for air through heaving, desperate sobs. “B-Brother!” she shouts, voice wet with fear, seemingly unaware that all eyes are upon her.

 

“Gou!?” Rin asks, immediately rising to his feet because barging in on the sultan’s audiences is absolutely unheard of. “What’s wrong?” he questions evenly, heart pounding uncontrollably deep in his chest.

 

He can’t remember the last time he’s seen Gou cry, honestly; he’s always been the emotional one between the pair of them. Not even harking back to their childhood can he recall ever seeing her sob like this.

 

“I-It’s… S-Sousuke…” she whimpers out, mucous thick in her nose, eyes dripping.

 

“Go, Rin. I can handle the rest of the audiences,” their mother whispers, her throne set beside her son’s.

 

“I… thank you, mother,” Rin nods quickly, bowing slightly and giving his guests a thorough apology before walking across the throne room to stand before his sister.

 

“What happened?” he asks immediately, voice heavy with nerves, fear beginning to bubble up.

 

“H-He… c-come,” she chokes out instead, unable to sort her bearings as she takes one of his larger hands in her palm, giving it a trembling squeeze before pulling him behind her towards the exit.

 

The fear in his belly shifts to panic as soon as he realizes he’s being dragged towards the medical ward. “Gou, _what happened to Sousuke_?” he repeats, harsher than he means to but this absolutely _cannot_ be what he’s beginning to fear it is.

 

Sousuke was just out on a routine surveillance job. Something he does _every single morning_. This… no. It can’t be. It absolutely _cannot be._

 

Rin ignores the gasps of “your majesty,” not caring for the polite bows as palace staff immediately move to kneel before him.

 

“Where is he!?” Rin snaps out instead, irritated that these workers are wasting his time. 

 

“A-Ah, the royal treatment room, your majesty!” one woman croaks out, and Rin doesn’t bother responding, instead yanking his hand free from Gou’s as he runs towards the end of the hallway, towards the largest treatment room in the palace, generally reserved for the royalty themselves.

 

When Rin moves to slip inside the open waiting area, he nearly trips over a man sitting out in the hallway, too distracted to wonder why there’s someone sitting casually on the floor of the medical corridors, right outside Sousuke’s room.

 

He's hyperfocused, body trembling from adrenaline as he takes a shaky, deep breath, and finally forces himself to step inside.

 

When his eyes move to where the commotion is, he can no longer breathe.

 

“B-Brother?” Gou gasps out behind him, but Rin’s turning on his heels immediately, blocking her view and pushing her back towards the exit.

 

“Wait outside, Gou.”

 

“W-what? Why?”

 

“Just _do it_ ,” Rin orders, voice low and commanding, in a tone he’s never used on his sister before.

 

Gou wants to argue, wants to fight him, but her teary red eyes meet Rin’s wavering ones and with one final, pointed stare she nods, turning to quietly slip back outside.

 

For a few moments Rin faces away from the commotion, from the medics, from _Sousuke_ , trying to find his center, to regain his bearings, to let his mind process everything he’s seen in those brief few seconds. He takes a few shaky, steadying breaths, trying to choke back the lump in his throat, to will away the tears already pooling in his eyes.

 

Once he’s as calm as he believes himself capable, he turns back around, taking a few steps closer to the staff to make sure that his eyes haven’t deceived him.

 

As his stomach roils he verifies that Sousuke is, in fact, missing his entire right arm.

 

His dominant arm.

 

The arm he uses to hold Rin in place whenever Rin gets just a bit too feisty and demanding while being fucked deep into the silken sheets of his lavish bed after a long, stressful day.

 

A quick glance around the room and Rin finds it, discarded on a table drenched in blood, hunk of sawed off bone jutting out from the torn, misshapen flesh. When he shifts his head he can see it, a glint of gold, still settled daintily at the base of one of those slightly curved, heavily swollen fingers.

 

The royal crest of Samezuka.

 

He’s never been more happy that a unexpectedly hectic morning means he’s missed breakfast.

 

“Your majesty, you shouldn’t be in here!” one of the medics gasps, immediately rushing to stand before Rin.

 

All Rin can see is the blood caking the medic’s bare arms.

 

Sousuke’s blood.

 

“What… what happened?” Rin whispers, voice low and meek, eyes still looking beyond the medic, at the prone body of his bloody, dying best friend.

 

“Apparently it was an ambush. They were on patrol and, and Yamazaki was the only survivor, sir. A wandering nomad found him and brought him here to see if he could be saved. It… it doesn’t look good, your majesty, but my medics are doing everything they can to keep Yamazaki alive, I swear to you!”

 

“Where is he?”

 

“Who, your majesty?”

 

“The nomad.”

 

“Outside, I believe.”

 

Rin nods immediately, taking a deep, slow breath, eyes closing for a moment as he steadies himself before eying the medic once more. “Thank you. Please, do everything you can for him. You have permission to do _anything_ you must to keep him alive.”

 

“Thank you, your majesty.”

 

“Of course. Now get back to work.”

 

“C-Certainly.”

 

Immediately the medic moves back to Sousuke, and as much as Rin wants to join him, wants to stand alongside his friend, to pray to the gods to _somehow_ help Sousuke survive this, he knows he’s in the way. His presence is a distraction to the medical staff, and for Sousuke’s sake, it’s best he leave.

 

With another glance at Sousuke and a quick, silent prayer that it won’t be his last, Rin forces himself to exit the room, stepping outside with an exhale.

 

“Brother?” Gou asks immediately, concern marring her brow. She’s no longer sobbing now that they’re together, but the nervousness and the sniffles are still there as she trembles in worry.

 

“At the moment he’s still alive,” Rin says, attempting to maintain some stoicism despite knowing his sister can read him like an open book. “The medics are doing all they can.”

 

“I’m surprised he survived the trip back.”

 

Rin pauses for a moment at the unfamiliar, accented voice, taking a moment to figure out where it’s coming from, eyes darting down to the ground, to a dark haired man with a small bucket of water settled between his legs, desperately trying to scrub blood from a formerly white scarf.

 

“The nomad?” Rin inquires, addressing Gou even though the man can hear him quite clearly.

 

“His name’s Haruka.”

 

“Haru.”

 

“Err, Haru, I suppose,” Gou corrects, eyes glancing down at the man who still hasn’t bothered to look up from his scarf.

 

“Do you know what happened?” Rin asks, irritated that the noma- no, Haruka, is refusing to meet the eyes of the sultan of Samezuka.

 

“No. My camel and I stumbled upon your soldiers. I thought them all dead. Went to scavenge the bodies and realized one was still alive.”

 

“You scavenged my men!?” Rin snaps out in disgust, glaring down at the man beneath him.

 

Haruka seems indifferent to Rin’s anger, shrugging his shoulders as he continues to scrub at his scarf. “They had nothing of worth on them. Well, other than this.” Haruka reaches into his pocket, pulling out a golden ring and holding it out, eyes still downward. “People leave you alone when they see this thing. It’s nice.”

 

“This _thing_!? This is the crest of Samezuka, afforded only to the royal guard of the sultan himself! It is no mere _thing_ ,” Rin snaps, snatching the ring from Haruka’s palm.

 

“Mm, the sultan needs to come up with a new identification system, then. Easy to steal and wander right into the palace, I’d say.”

 

“You sack of-“

 

“Brother!” Gou yelps, immediately flinging a hand in front of him to keep him from doing something decidedly stupid. “If he hadn’t taken the crest, he may not have made it to the palace as quickly as he did. Calm yourself, his thieving is the only thing that has kept Sousuke alive thus far.”

 

Rin can hear himself growling under his breath but he doesn’t speak. Gou’s right and they both know it, but damned if this nomad isn’t one of the most irritating people Rin’s ever been privy to meeting. And he’s the sultan, he takes audiences with fools for a living. 

 

“Thank you,” Rin finally grunts out between clenched teeth, fingers squeezing around that ring.

 

“Hm?” Haruka hums, finally glancing up, disinterested blue eyes meeting red.

 

Rin can’t help but stare; it’s not often he sees a pair of eyes beautiful enough to rival Sousuke’s. It takes a moment for Rin to regain his bearings, before forcibly repeating himself. “Thank you. For bringing Sousuke home. I am in your debt, Haru.”

 

Haruka stares for a moment before shrugging lightly, attention drifting back to his scarf.

 

For a moment Rin just stares, waiting for Haruka to put in some sort of request, any request really, as the sultan of the entire empire of Samezuka has just admitted to being in his debt. And yet, despite that, Haruka seems not to care at all, too distracted by his scarf to pay Rin any mind.

 

…Haruka _does_ realize who Rin is, right?

 

“I can get you a replacement scarf, you know.”

 

“Mm, I like this one.”

 

“I can get you a nicer one than that. One forged with the threads of the finest silk Samezuka has to offer.”

 

Haruka turns to stare up at Rin for a moment, face mildly irritated. “But I like _this_ one.”

 

“Oi, fine,” Rin snaps out irritably, eyes drifting back to Sousuke’s room as his foot taps impatiently along the marble flooring. “What do you want, anyways? Gems? Gold? Land?”

 

“My camel.”

 

“You want a cam- wait, _your_ camel?”

 

“Where is he?”

 

“Ah, I’m not sure? Likely being pampered alongside the palace camels, I’d presume.”

 

“So he’s alright, then.”

 

“My people wouldn’t harm a camel, especially not one that carried Sousuke back.”

 

“Good. He’ll need a bath,” Haruka muses to himself, attention drifting back to his ratty, blood-drenched scarf.

 

“If he was… if he was soiled with Sousuke’s blood, I’m sure the staff has already bathed him. He’ll be _so_ clean you may no longer recognize him.”

 

“I keep Ismael clean,” Haruka mumbles back irritably.

 

“I didn’t say… ugh,” Rin sighs, glancing over at Gou who can’t help but smile lightly. “Not you, too.”

 

“Sorry,” she shrugs back, glancing at Sousuke’s room once more. “I… I wonder when we’ll know.”

 

“Likely not for a while. At least not unless…” Rin opts not to finish that sentence, chest tightening once more as he glances down at Haruka. “You need a bath as well, you know. You’ve still quite a bit of blood and dirt on you.”

 

Haruka shrugs, continuing to work away.

 

Rin has to admit, as the sultan, being ignored is rather… it’s irritating. Definitely irritating. “One of the staff could take you to the men’s bathing room. There are cleaning tubs and a pool where you ca-“

 

“Pool?” Haruka asks, head immediately jerking up to stare at Rin with wide eyes, hand almost flipping his bucket as he sits up in excitement.

 

“Ah, yes? You can get clean in the wash tubs, then enjoy either the heated baths or the cool water pool to your heart’s content.”

 

“Where is it?” Haruka asks, voice thick with excitement, eyes darting around the hallway hopefully.

 

“Let me just find a staff-“

 

“Ah, I could do it, brother. I could use a distraction right about now,” Gou offers.

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes. I assume you don’t plan on leaving any time soon?”

 

Rin’s attention shifts to Sousuke’s room before shifting back to Gou as he nods.

 

“I’ll take Haru to the baths and show him around a bit, as long as you promise to come get me with any news, alright?”

 

“Mm, that’s fair,” Rin nods to himself before eying Haruka. “Anything happens to my sister and any good will you’ve earned by helping Sousuke will mean absolutely nothing. I _will_ string you up by your entrails and hang you outside the palace as a warning to others if you so much as touch a single hair on her head.”

 

“Brother!”

 

“Anyways, carry on, you two. Oh, and see if the staff can get the blood out of Haru’s scarf, Gou.”

 

“Yes, yes. Of course, brother.”

 

\--

 

Haruka honestly doesn’t expect to stay as long as he does, but, well, the pool is a place that exists inside this ridiculously ostentatious palace, and that’s more than enough for him to stick around a bit longer than usual.

 

Haruka spends most of his day in the baths, swimming around leisurely. Admittedly, despite his complaints, he could get used to this. He’s never imagined a time where he could truly envision himself staying put so readily, but constant access to water does wonders for his mood. The desert is his home, of course, but it’s hard to deny the pull of the water. 

 

As a nomad, traveling is in his blood. He generally can’t stay in a town or city for more than a few weeks before he begins to get that itch, that _need,_ to explore, to move, to disappear back into the desert he calls his home. But with the ambush comes an increase in skirmishes along the Samezuka border, and Rin asks (though really begs) for Haruka to stay a bit longer.

 

Haruka has a sneaking suspicion that Rin feels entirely indebted to him for rescuing his guard, and the idea of Haruka promptly being killed on the borders between countries doesn’t sit well with the sultan. He seems both skeptical of Haruka and, at the same time, worried for his well-being.

 

Haruka’s spent the last few days attempting to get a read on Sousuke and Rin’s relationship, as Rin constantly flits in and out of the medical ward, torn between his duties as sultan and his loyalties to his friend. It’s rather like watching a chicken with their head cut off, really, because Rin never seems to stop moving. He’s like this overwhelming, never-ending, frenetic ball of energy, incapable of slowing down for even a moment.

 

Does Rin even sleep, Haruka wonders?

 

Over the days, Haruka’s quickly come to realize that Gou makes for a much more enjoyable companion than Rin. She’s friendly and witty and, more often than not, the one that remembers he even exists. She likes to bring him snacks, particularly juicy fruits, and ask him all about his travels. He’s not quite sure why, honestly, but her gaze roves his chest and arms more often than not, so he has his suspicions.

 

Ismael seems taken with the rest of the royal camels as well. Haruka makes sure to visit with him a few times a day, to brush his wiry fur and sneak him a date or two. It’s hard not to notice how lively the camel has become. For so long it’s only been the pair of them, and it’s quite obvious that Ismael is drinking in all this newfound attention.

 

The room Haruka’s been giving is ridiculous as well, tucked away in a relatively quiet hall of the guest quarters.  It’s far too grandiose for his needs, but it affords him a level of peace that he can’t help but appreciate.

 

The seclusion, however, means that he’s fully unaware when Sousuke finally awakens.

 

It’s not as though he knows the man, of course, but somehow he can’t help but feel a small sense of responsibility for him. At the time Haruka hadn’t known what to do, had used his scarf and covering to wrap Sousuke’s mutilated arm, heaving him over Ismael’s back before leading the camel into the city.

 

He really hadn’t believed that the guard would survive the trip, so along the way he had done his best to soothingly, awkwardly, mumble words of both encouragement and condolence. Five days after arriving at the palace, he certainly hadn’t expected for the princess to show up at his bedroom with news of Sousuke’s awakening, asking if he’d like to meet the man he was responsible for saving the life of.

 

By the time they arrive at the medical corridor and make their way to Sousuke’s room they can hear talking, and for a moment they both wait outside, eying one another.

 

“I’ll be fine, Sousuke. Worry for yourself, not me.”

 

“But who will guard you, now…?”

 

“As next in ascension, Seijuurou will take over as head of my personal guard, of course.”

 

“Yes. Of course...”

 

“Sousuke.”

 

“Mm, I suppose once I’m finally out of here I should make sure to gather my things and move to a new room as well…”

 

“…What?”

 

“I don’t believe an armless guard suitable to occupy the room closest to the sultan of all of Samezuka, you know.”

 

“Don’t be foolish. You’re not being forced to leave your room, Sousuke.”

 

“Then where will your new guard stay? It’s ridiculous to not have your most able-bodied, trusted guard in closest proximity to the sultan. If something were to happen…”

 

“You truly believe I want _Seijuurou_ of all people in the room between myself and Gou? I should think not.”

 

“He’ll keep you safe.”

 

“He can do that from another room down the hall.”

 

“You don’t have to let me stay in such a renowned place out of pity, Rin.”

 

“ _Nothing_ I do for you is out of pity, Sousuke. You know that.”

 

“Do I?”

 

Haruka watches as Gou peeks her head around the entrance of the medical room with a low, “uhm, Sousuke…?”

 

“Ah, Gou…”

 

“If you’re busy I can come back, it’s just… I thought you might like to meet the man who saved your life?”

 

“He’s here?”

 

Haruka watches Gou nod, only stepping forward once she gestures for him to do so, awkwardly moving to stand in the doorframe, blue eyes drifting to both Rin and Sousuke.

 

Rin’s sitting comfortably alongside Sousuke, one leg hanging over the edge of the bed, the other tucked beneath him.

 

Sousuke, understandably, is only half-sitting up, buried underneath a pile of fine silks, looking an absolute mess.

 

To be honest, Haruka’s not entirely sure what he’d been expecting. He’s seen Sousuke before, of course, but drenched in blood and on the verge of death. While he, of course, looks terrible, he looks nothing like Haruka imagined.

 

His eyes are heavy with exhaustion but they’re an insanely teal blue, and they accompany a strong jawline (in noticeable need of a shave) and short, dark hair that could do with a good brushing.

 

Haruka gets the sudden urge to find a comb, to tidy up that unruly hair as Sousuke silently stares right back at him.

 

“Ah, thank you…” Sousuke mumbles awkwardly, head shifting forward slightly before he grunts lowly in pain.

 

“Sousuke?” Rin asks immediately, hand moving to hover over Sousuke’s thigh in worriedness.

 

“I’m fine,” Sousuke sighs, glancing down at his missing arm, then back at Haruka, brows furrowed irritably as his left hand moves back to idly rub at the nape of his neck. “Thank you, though. If not for you I’d be dead.”

 

Haruka shrugs, not really wanting Sousuke’s gratitude. He’d done what he’d thought was right at the time; there was nothing more to it. “It’s nothing.”

 

“Uhm, this is Haru,” Gou kindly fills in, quickly realizing that neither Sousuke nor Haruka is a talker and going to bother introducing themselves to one another. “And this is Sousuke, of course,” she adds as a bit of an afterthought, glancing between the pair.

 

“How friendly,” Rin sighs, shaking his head at the pair of them. “Anyways, if you’re alright, Sousuke, I need to get back to the throne room. Dignitaries from Iwatobi will be arriving within the next hour, and I need to be present to welcome them upon their arrival. Gou as well.”

 

“Yes, of course, brother,” Gou nods quickly, glancing at Sousuke. “If you need anything, feel free to send one of the medics to come get me. It’s not a bother.”

 

“Thank you, Gou,” Sousuke nods, watching as Rin climbs off the bed, glancing over at Gou, and then back at Sousuke.

 

“Get some rest, alright?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Rin and Gou are gone after another few moments, leaving Sousuke and Haruka to awkwardly stare at one another.

 

“I… suppose I’ll be heading back to the baths,” Haruka finally says, glancing at Sousuke and then back outside the door he’s still standing in, watching the Matsuoka siblings disappear down the hallway. “I’m ah… glad you’re not dead?” Haruka adds awkwardly, not really sure what one is supposed to say to the person they don’t know and yet saved the life of.

 

“Ah, yes, of course. Well then… thank you again, Haru.”

 

“Of course.” Haruka nods quickly, giving Sousuke a final, quick glance over before hastily exiting the medical corridor.

 

\--

 

It takes three weeks before Sousuke’s cleared to leave the medical ward.

 

Despite how much pain he’s in, he’s going stir-crazy by the end of the first week, so by week three his release from the medical ward is an actual gods’ send. Rin attempts to get away from the throne to see him off, as does Gou, but the border tensions have them occupied, and so Sousuke’s left to his own devices.

 

His first plan, after a much-needed dose of opium, is to head to the bath house. As thoughtful as the medical staff has been during the duration of his stay, being bathed with wash rags can only do so much. He’s been dreaming of the baths, really, of being warm and finally feeling clean, of finally feeling _like himself_.

 

It’s hard for Sousuke to put into words what losing his limb feels like, exactly.

 

It’s like this constant feeling of brokenness, of emptiness, of no longer being the person he's always been, his entire life changed in an instant. Every small, silly, mundane little thing becomes a mountainous task. He’s not left-handed, but now he must brush his hair with his left hand, use it to grab things, to write…

 

There’s a part of him that dreads the moment he has to pick up a sword for the first time.

 

 As Sousuke carefully makes his way towards the bathhouse, he’s almost overwhelmed by it all, by the realization that this is his reality, that the stares of the palace staff are his new normal.

 

Those horrible, _pitiable_ stares.

 

One of the oddest feelings of all is the inadequacy, is the absolute alienation from loved ones. Rin, Gou, they both want to be there for him, to help him cope with this change, and yet all Sousuke can think is that he’s no longer the man they knew. The man they both loved.

 

He’s no longer the boy who would always, _always_ cave to Gou’s childish whining and give her a piggy-back ride back whenever the three of them snuck off to the private oasis and she was too tired to walk back herself.

 

Nor is he the man that would stop by Rin’s workroom in the wee hours of the morning and forcibly throw Rin over his shoulder and drag back to his bedroom for some desperately needed rest.

 

He’ll never be the man who'd occasionally sneak into the kitchens to get the staff to help him bake Gou pastries whenever her cramps were unbearable.

 

He’ll never protect Rin by being the best fighter in Samezuka’s royal guard ever again.

 

Ever.

 

It’s sobering and it’s _awful_ and Sousuke can’t help but be caught in an endless cycle of self-pity and self-loathing.

 

More often than not, he wishes he’d never been saved. Better to die a hero than live to become a useless pariah. He’s not booksmart, not really. Isn’t made for strategizing or even helping Rin with his paperwork. Without his body, his arm, he’s absolutely useless. His athleticism, his skill with a blade, it’s always been the only thing of distinction about him.

 

Yamazaki Sousuke, leader of the royal guard of Samezuka. Right hand to the sultan himself.

 

Now just Yamazaki Sousuke, the man who was once great, but who faded into obscurity when his body was destroyed by war.

 

As he makes his way into the bath house he avoids eye contact, heading immediately over to the cleansing baths once he’s changed and gotten his towel. They’re pleasantly empty, and so he immediately sets aside his towel and slips in, mindful of the bandaging still covering his shoulder. He wants to dip under the water, maybe to never come out from under it, to be honest, but he knows he can’t, instead focusing his attention on the communal soaps and shampoos.

 

Immediately he realizes that the bottles have screwed-on caps. Because of course they do.

 

For a moment he stares in frustration, finally resorting to holding the bottle between his thighs so he can clumsily unscrew the lid, setting it alongside his towel. It becomes immediately apparent that he doesn’t have a second hand to pour said shampoo into, and he can’t help but grunt quietly in irritation.

 

This is _ridiculous_.

 

Finally, he settles on setting down the bottle, scooping pathetically small handfuls of water into his palm to pour over his head, before grabbing the bottle once more and tentatively tipping it over his own head. It’s a precarious situation, as his shaky left hand attempts to pour only the appropriate amount of shampoo onto his head, but he’s fairly confident he can do it, as his hand tilts the bottle more and mo-

 

Gods _damnit_.

 

Dumping half a bottle of shampoo over his head has the fluid slipping into his eyes, burning. He immediately drops the bottle into the water and desperately attempts to wash the shampoo out of his eyes with scoops of shampoo-muddled water. A stream of curses is tumbling out of his mouth as he hears, audaciously, someone _snicker_ behind him.

 

“Find something _funny_?” he growls, loud and irritable, eyes blinking nonstop as the burning starts to subside some.

 

His head jerks to the side once his vision has mostly cleared, quickly realizing that the sound had come from the nearby pools.

 

“You’re still here?” Sousuke snaps, scowling as Haruka hangs leisurely over the edge of the pool, watching him in mild amusement.

 

“Mm, Rin won’t let me leave.”

 

“ _Rin_? Most people here call him sultan Matsuoka, you know.”

 

Haruka merely shrugs. “He’s not my sultan.”

 

“Try calling him Rin to his face, then, see how that goes,” Sousuke grumbles, catching the nearly empty glass bottle floating in the tubs, setting it aside irritably.

 

“I always call him Rin.”

 

“Seriously?” Sousuke scoffs, staring at Haruka.

 

Haruka shrugs once more, sitting up a bit to try to get a better look at Sousuke. “You could just ask for help. You know Rin’d do it.”

 

“I don’t need Rin’s help.”

 

“Why not? He’s your friend, isn’t he?”

 

“Don’t pretend to understand our relationship, Haru.”

 

Silence falls between them for a few moments, as Sousuke turns his attention back on trying to figure out how the hell to bathe himself.

 

 He’s rubbing himself down with a bar of bath soap when he hears a nearby splash, attention following the sound, glancing over to see Haruka climb gracefully out of the pool.

 

“At least put your towel on,” Sousuke snaps irritably, doing everything in his power to keep his eyes from wandering lower.

 

“Why?” Haruka shrugs. “I don’t have a towel, anyways.”

 

“You don’t have a- you’re _supposed_ to get one when you enter the baths,” Sousuke sighs, shaking his head. Why today, this day, his first day of the rest of his armless life, did he have to run into Haruka and quickly realize that the man that saved his life is also pretty damned obnoxious?

 

Haruka doesn’t bother responding, instead walking over to stand behind Sousuke for a moment.

 

“What?” Sousuke ask irritably, half-tempted to lean his head back and eye Haruka, but also realizing that if he does that, he’ll get an _eyeful_ of Haruka, and he’d really rather not.

 

Once again Haruka remains silent, instead moving to take a seat behind Sousuke. “Hand me the other bottle of shampoo.”

 

“… _What_?”

 

“Hand me the other bottle of shampoo.”

 

When Sousuke doesn’t move Haruka sighs, like it’s Sousuke that’s the weird one, that’s decided he’s going to wander over to another man in the middle of the bath house, completely naked, and offer to wash his hair.

 

Haruka finally gets back onto his knees, crawling along the marble of the bath to grab one of the bottles himself.

 

“Ugh, put a towel on,” Sousuke snaps because, why yes, that is very much another man’s goods in his face.

 

Once again Haruka sighs, grabbing the bottle before returning to his seat behind Sousuke, draping Sousuke’s towel over his lap to shut the man up. “You people have such weird customs…” Haruka mumbles, mostly to himself, as he unscrews the lid and pours himself a palmful of shampoo, setting down the bottle before running his fingers through Sousuke’s hair.

 

“I don’t need your help.”

 

“Get over it.”

 

Sousuke wants to growl, wants to fight Haruka on this, to defend his own honor because he is _not_ an invalid just because he’s missing a limb now.

 

But honestly the fingers in his hair feel ridiculously good, scratching along his scalp, and so he finds himself relaxing against his will with a low, annoyed sigh. “Have you not been using a towel these past four weeks?” Sousuke asks idly after another moment.

 

“No one else said anything.” For a moment they fall back into silence, Haruka working surprisingly deft fingers through Sousuke’s hair before he eventually reaches for one of the bathing bowls, using it to pour water over Sousuke’s head and wash out the shampoo. “Does Rin not bathe here?”

 

“Rin? Of course not, the sultan has a private bath.”

 

“Hm.”

 

Why?” Sousuke asks after another few moments of quiet.

 

“I didn’t expect to see you here.”

 

“It’s Rin’s private bath, not mine.”

 

Sousuke can sense there’s another question there, but Haruka doesn’t ask, instead lathering up Sousuke’s hair with some conditioner.

 

“Did Rin really force you to stay here?” Sousuke finally asks after another minute or so, head tilting to the side when Haruka moves it so he can dip his fingertips around the back of Sousuke’s ears.

 

“Mm, not really.”

 

Haruka’s silent for a moment, before finally speaking once more. “Well… somewhat. He’s afraid I’ll get killed at the borders.”

 

“…Has the situation really gotten _that_ bad?” Sousuke asks with a frown. Rin’s explicitly refused to talk politics with him while he’s been in the medical ward, so Sousuke’s spent the last month completely out of the loop, wondering just how the ambush had turned the political tides.

 

“No clue. Gou doesn’t talk about it much.”

 

“…You call her Gou as well?” Sousuke frowns. It’s extremely disrespectful, but apparently the Matsuoka siblings have both gotten caught up in Haruka’s mystique. It’s very unusual for the pair of them to allow such familiarity from virtual strangers.

 

“It’s her name, isn’t it?”

 

“Well obviously.”

 

Haruka seems to think he’s made his point, once again going quiet.  After another few minutes Haruka finishes washing and rinsing Sousuke’s hair, putting away the bottles of shampoo before climbing to his feet. “You’re on your own with the body soap,” he says easily, taking a moment to wrap the towel around his waist.

 

Sousuke doesn’t even realize Haruka’s left until he glances around and notices he’s alone.

 

And it isn’t until an hour later, when he’s leaving the bath, that he realizes Haruka’s taken his towel with him.

 

 _Gods damnit_.

 

\--

 

“He’s weird.”

 

“Extremely so,” Rin mumbles from his desk, working through a pile of paperwork that never seems to end.

 

“Like… really, _really_ weird.”

 

“I know, Sousuke. I’ve been dealing with him for the past month, remember?”

 

“You should have said something.”

 

“What was I supposed to say? ‘Just so you know, the man that saved your life is an obnoxious, crass oddball with no sense of nuance _or_ decency.’ How would that even come up in conversation?”

 

“I just… so he’s been like this the whole time? Also. Since when did you start letting strange men call you by your first name, _your majesty_?”

 

“Since when did you start letting strange men bathe you, _imperial commander Yamazaki_?” Rin challenges readily, eyes still on his paperwork.

 

“That’s different. _I’m_ not the sultan.”

 

“So the sultan can’t be friendly name-wise with someone, but the leader of the royal guard can be friendly and _naked_ with said someone?”

 

“It wasn’t like that,” Sousuke scoffs irritably, leaning back tiredly in his seat, attempting to cross his arms only to duly remember that he can’t.

 

Oh.

 

“Mm, I know, you’re just fun to rile up,” Rin grins toothily.

 

“Hn,” Sousuke grunts, unimpressed, reaching over to steal a handful of grapes from the plate at Rin’s desk.

 

“Hey,” Rin laughs, swatting at Sousuke’s hand teasingly. Rin lets Sousuke keep the grapes, of course, attention wandering back to his paperwork for a minute or so before he sighs. “It doesn’t matter how weird he is, Sousuke. I’m indebted to him.”

 

“He didn’t save _your_ life.”

 

“Arguable…” Rin mumbles, fingers tapping idly on his desk.

 

Sousuke pauses for a moment, eyes shifting to Rin. Sousuke can’t help but first frown, then sigh. “You would have been alright without me, Rin,” Sousuke reassures quietly, teal eyes watching Rin, watching those nervous movements, his back hunched in discomfort.

 

Rin scoffs immediately at the sentiment, shaking his head as he scratches his signature across the top document. “He’s not terrible, regardless,” Rin finally mutters, setting aside the page to dry and moving onto the next. “I’d rather be indebted to a weird nomad boy who asks for nothing but pool access and imported fish than the greedy, lecherous dignitaries that normally travel through here…”

 

“Imported fish?” Sousuke stares for a moment.

 

“Mackerel, to be precise. A ton of it. And I know you believe I’m joking but I kid you not, we’ll probably have gone through a ton of this stupid fish by the time he leaves my palace.”

 

“I’ve never even heard of this fish.”

 

“Don’t let him hear you say that. You’ll get a lecture, so consider yourself warned.”

 

“First-hand experience, I presume?” Sousuke smiles lightly, popping a few grapes into his mouth.

 

“Gou’s first-hand experience, actually.”

 

“Poor girl,” Sousuke laughs quietly threw a mouthful.

 

“Gross,” Rin says, nose scrunching at Sousuke’s propensity to talk with his mouth full.

 

“How long do you plan to be in here?” Sousuke asks once he’s swallowed, leaning over in his seat a bit to eye Rin’s papers.

 

“How important is sleep, really,” Rin dismisses with a laugh.

 

Sousuke wants to take it as a joke, but he knows it’s not. Well, it’s under the guise of a joke, of course, but Rin’s always pushed himself far past what a normal man should. “For the sultan of an entire country? Very,” Sousuke says, voice soft.

 

Rin finishes signing another document before frowning lightly, eyes still down, body tense as he takes a slow, deep inhale. “How are you doing, Sousuke? Honestly,” Rin finally asks, words careful as he slowly turns his head to glance at his friend.

 

“I’ve enough opium in my system that I’m doing just fine,” Sousuke jokes distractedly, not really wanting to address this. Not now, not with Rin.

 

“Sousuke.”

 

“I lost my arm, Rin, how do you _think_ I’m doing?”

 

Rin’s silence in surprisingly painful, as his head tilts back to his paperwork, staring hard at the documents before him.

 

“It’s not your fault, Rin,” Sousuke finally sighs out.

 

Whether it’s the tone or the words, Sousuke isn’t sure, but Rin’s sitting up in his seat immediately, fist clenching around his quill. “Of _course_ it’s my fault! You’re _my_ royal guard, you took this job because of me, Sousuke! Becau-“

 

“I took this job because I wanted it, Rin. I knew the dangers. Not everything’s about _you_ ,” Sousuke snaps irritably.

 

“I thought you were going to _die_ , Sousuke!”

 

“Maybe it’d be better if I had,” Sousuke can’t help but whisper, eyes falling down to the bandaged, painful, _awful_ stump that still, a month later, hasn’t quite become reality yet.

 

“…Sousuke?”

 

Sousuke can’t help but sigh, trying to idly rub at his neck before, once again, realizing he has no hand to do it.

 

Sighing quietly once more, he switches to his left.

 

“I can’t pick you up and drag you to bed anymore, Rin. Get some sleep, alright?”

 

Rin doesn’t say anything as Sousuke rises to his feet, giving his friend one final glance before disappearing from Rin’s workroom.

 

\--

 

Sousuke’s halfway down the hallway, heading to the kitchen to order (more like steal) some fresh bread, when he hears quick footsteps coming up behind him.

 

“Ah, Yamazaki sir, I’m Ryuugazaki Rei. I’ll be in charge of your therapy starting today! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

 

“I didn’t request a therapist,” Sousuke scoffs, tilting his to the side to stare at this kid with glasses, wondering what the hell is going on as he purposefully keeps walking, pace hastening.

 

“Ah, well, of course not. But the sulta-“

 

“Rin, of course,” Sousuke groans, shaking his head. “I don’t need therapy. I don’t _actually_ wish I’d died.”

 

“Ah, I’m not a psychological therapist, though I’m sure there’s someone who available who could tend to those needs upon request. I’m a physical therapist, sir. I work with soldiers recovering from severe illness and injuries.”

 

“A physical therapist? Lovely.”

 

“Readjusting to life after losing a limb is extremely difficult, sir.”

 

“I’m quite aware, thanks.”

 

“Being stubborn doesn’t change the fact that everything’s changed for you.”

 

Sousuke finally stops, turning around to eye Rei. “I’m not being _stubborn_. I lost my arm, it’s not like I don’t want to eat my vegetables or something stupid.”

 

“The longer you avoid help and refuse to address that everything’s changed, the harder it’ll be for you to get as close as possible to the person you used to be.”

 

“You don’t know even me.”

 

“Mm. I know you’re stubborn. Strong-willed. That a month ago you were the most renowned fighter in all of Samezuka. That you’re the only person outside of his family that the sultan has put his entire trust in.”

 

“Tch. Don’t act like you know Rin. You don’t.”

 

Sousuke can’t explain why he’s so angry, really, other than he’s _always_ angry these days, that he hates himself and hates the world and hates the pity and he’d given anything, _anything_ , to be able to go back to the way things were.

 

He couldn’t even punch this kid if he tried, which is surprisingly sobering.

 

Rei stands silently for a moment, pushing up his glasses along the bridge of his nose before crossing his arms over his chest. “How do you know I don’t know Rin?”

 

“Because if Rin knew you, _I_ would know you.”

 

“Then you know I took classes alongside him, correct? ‘A sultan must be prepared for anything; must be learned in the ways of the world.’ A common philosophy, yes? A sultan is expected to have linguistic fluency, to know proper etiquette, to be able to act appropriately in times of peace and times of war. He must be capable of caring for his people, of treating the injured, feeding the needy. He must be a jack-of-all-trades.”

 

Sousuke knows where this is going, and yet he can’t find any words to fight back, instead awkwardly crossing his left arm over his chest, no right arm there to meet it.

 

“As the sultan, Rin spent his teenage years in constant classes and meetings. I’m sure you’re aware of this fact. So is it that silly to think that he might have met people there that aren’t you? That the sultan of Samezuka might, perhaps, be more worldly than you give him credit? It was emergency medicine, by the way.”

 

“What?”

 

“The class we took together. Triaging, stitching, bandaging the wounded and such. Wartime care. Rin put in a good word for me years ago, and I’ve built upon that opportunity. You’d be wise to do the same. Sir.”

 

“I don’t need your pity.”

 

“I don’t do my job out of pity, you know. You’ve lost one limb; I’ve had a few that have lost all four.”

 

For a moment they stand in awkward silence together in the hallway of the palace before finally Rei sighs. “I can’t force you to accept my help, but if you decide you’re willing and wanting, you can find me down at the medical wing of the soldier barracks. Come see me any time.”

 

Sousuke can’t help but snort lowly, shaking his head, silently turning on his heels and heading towards the kitchens, leaving Rei alone in the hallway.

 

Not a chance.

 

\--

 

“Mm, brother’s upset with you, Sousuke. You really, _really_ should give physical therapy a chance. It might really help you!”

 

“Ugh, not you too,” Sousuke groans.

 

“Don’t ‘not you too’ me, Sousuke. We’re worried about you! You’re family, you know. We… we both didn’t think you’d make it. Rin wouldn’t even let me see you at first. I don’t… I don’t think he wanted my last memory of you to be like _that_. He was so scared. We both were. It’s been hard on him.”

 

Sousuke wants to snort, wants to ask which arm _Rin_ lost, but he doesn’t. He may be quick with his tongue around most people, but not Gou. He’d never say anything to hurt Gou.

 

They sit together in silence for a few moments, Sousuke idly watching as Gou attempts to braid her hair in front of her mirror, getting halfway and then redoing the entire thing because it’s not straight enough or whatnot.

 

The Matsuokas have always taken pride in their looks, that’s for sure.

 

“Mm, I can’t even braid your hair anymore…” Sousuke mumbles idly, eyes drifting down to his disgusting stub of a shoulder.

 

“Anymore? You couldn’t braid it when you had two hands, Sousuke,” Gou can’t help but laugh. “You have the clumsiest fingers. Too big, I think. No finesse at all.”

 

Sousuke can’t help but clench and unclench his left hand, idly staring down at his palm, noting how many of his callouses have already disappeared during his month of complete inactivity.

 

“How are you doing, anyways?”

 

This time Sousuke does sigh.

 

“Sorry, sorry. I know you must be hearing that a lot, lately.”

 

“Yeah...”

 

“Is that why you’re here?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“You don’t normally stop by my bedroom, you know. Not unless something’s bothering you. Usually my brother,” she laughs, finally settling on splitting her hair into two parts and braiding herself twintails.

 

“Ah, sorry…”

 

“No no! It’s quite alright. You’re never a bother, Sousuke.”

 

“So… what do you know about Haru?”

 

“Haru? Not Rin? Well that’s a surprise,” Gou laughs.

 

“Well, both, I guess,” Sousuke adds quietly, fist clenching idly. “What has it been like, while I was in the medical ward?”

 

“Well, that’s a bit of a loaded question,” Gou says thoughtfully, tying off her braids before moving to take a seat at the foot of her bed alongside Sousuke.  “It’s been hard, of course. On everyone. Rin took it all very badly, as expected. But you’ve survived, so hopefully that changes. And Haru… Haru’s… well, he’s interesting.”

 

“So I’ve gathered.”

 

Gou can’t help but giggle lightly over that. “He’s a good man, I think. Odd, certainly, but his heart’s in the right place. He really gets Rin riled up, so that’s quite entertaining at least.”

 

“…Really?”

 

“Mmhm. You missed a lot, Sousuke.”

 

“So I’ve gathered,” Sousuke sighs once more.

 

“Why don’t I catch you up, then?” Gou smiles thoughtfully, affectionately patting Sousuke’s cheek with her palm. “Haru’s a nomad. He comes from a tribe, but it’s quite common for his people to venture out once they come-of-age. He’s travelled all over, Sousuke. He’s not much of a talker, but once you get him going, he has the most interesting stories to tell.”

 

“Is that how you ended up learning about mackerel?”

 

Gou’s nose scrunches up and Sousuke can’t help but laugh as she sighs out a “yes.”

 

“Anyways. He used to be a champion camel racer! If it wouldn’t get the whole city into a tizzy for me to be seen with a strange man, I’d love to take him to see one of the local camel races. Apparently he and Ismael, that’s the camel that carried you back, used to make all their money that way.”

 

“A camel racer, huh?”

 

“Mmhm! I thought it was quite neat. He’s also an amazing swimmer, I’ve heard. Obviously I haven’t seen him swim, men’s pools and all, but I’m always ready for any gossip the palace has to give to me, and that’s one I keep hearing over and over again.”

 

“Hear any about how he doesn’t know what a bath house towel is?” Sousuke can’t help but mumble irritably.

 

Immediately Gou’s laughing. “All the time. Next time you share a bath with him, though, might I recommend bringing two towels so you don’t end up losing your own?”

 

“ _How_ did you hear about that!?” Sousuke snaps in mild horror.

 

“Mmmm, I have my sources,” Gou can’t help but grin. “Was it a good view?” she asks cheekily with a wink, and Sousuke’d shove her if she were sitting on the side of him that has an arm.

 

“I’m not answering that question,” he grumbles. To be fair, he’d done his best not to look, so he couldn’t honestly say one way or the ot-

 

No. No. He could say, he just wasn’t going to or Gou’d never let him live it down.

 

“So yes, then.”

 

“ _Why_ did I come to your room, again?”

 

“Because you love me. Anyways, hmm, other gossip, other gossip… oh! He’s obsessed with water.”

 

“You _did_ say he was a swimmer.”

 

“No no, I mean _obsessed_. I am almost positive that he’s trying to figure out a way into Rin’s private baths.”

 

“…What?”

 

“Don’t look at me like that! He’s totally looking for an in.”

 

“An in?”

 

“Yes! He asked me about Rin’s bath. What would I know about Rin’s bath, I don’t go in there. It was super weird. At first I thought maybe he just, you know, wanted to see Rin in the baths. But no, it’s the baths themselves, I swear!”

 

“You’re wild, Gou,” Sousuke sighs, but honestly there’s a bit of relief at her silly revelation. So _that’s_ why Haruka had been so curious about whether Sousuke had access to Rin’s private bath.

 

So apparently he was a potential in. Great.

 

“I mean I _could_ see if Rin’d let Haru see it, but honestly it’s funnier this way. It’s a bit like watching a comedy routine when they’re together. Wouldn’t want to spoil the show by being direct, you know?” Gou laughs, idly twisting one of her braids between her fingers.

 

Sousuke can’t help but smile at her giggles, feeling an odd sense of ease settle over him after such a long, wretched day.

 

“I’m so glad you’re alive, Sousuke,” Gou announces after another moment, smile still broad across her face.

 

Sousuke finds himself glancing over at her, catching those warm, thoughtful eyes, and he can’t help but give her a little smile in return. “Me too, Gou.”

 

\--

 

It’s a week later, when Sousuke decides to go on a run for the first time, that reality once again punches him in the gut.

 

He’s never _loved_ running, exactly, not like Rin, but it’s always been a way to clear his head whenever the stress becomes too much for him. He’s been practically a hermit ever since his release, and for some reason, he’s decided that today is going to be different. That it’s time for him to start getting back to his life. To start getting back into shape.

 

The start of his run goes well enough. It takes him some time to get used to being a bit off-kilter, unable to balance quite as well as he used to mid-run. He’s confident, though, that with time he’ll be able to get used to it, to run as fast as he used to.

 

He avoids the courtyards, because he’s still not quite ready to see the rest of the royal guards, not as he is now, instead opting to run near the stables, appreciating the coverage it provides from both the sun and prying eyes.

 

All is going well, as he huffs and realizes how shot his stamina is, until his right foot makes unexpected contact with the twist of a tree root.

 

Immediately he throws out his arm to catch himself, only realizing as his face is about to hit the dirt that there’s no arm there to catch him. In a desperate attempt to salvage the moment, he clumsily throws out his left hand, but it’s too little too late and he hits the ground with a grunt.

 

It’s honestly less painful than it is humiliating, and he opts to lay on the ground for a moment, inhaling dirt from the cloud he’d kicked up on impact, a disgusted horror settling in his chest.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

Sousuke honestly wants to scream, wants to cry, as he braces his forearm on the ground and pushes himself back up to his knees. “What in the _hell_ are you doing out here? Don’t you have a pool to be swimming in?” he growls, looking up with a scowl to meet wide, blue eyes.

 

Haruka’s got two fish hunks on sticks in one hand and a small pouch in the other, taking a moment to hold up the pouch purposefully. “Dates for my camel. I haven’t groomed him yet today.”

 

“Oh,” is all Sousuke can choke out, still trying to catch his breath as he awkwardly spits out some of the dirt he’d managed to get in his mouth.

 

“You want to meet him?”

 

“What?”

 

“Ismael,” Haruka responds easily, glancing down at Sousuke and then back at the stables.

 

Sousuke stares for a moment, bracing his palm on the ground so he can push himself back up, climbing to his feet.

 

He’s not sure why he nods, really, dusting himself off with his hand before moving to join Haruka.

 

“Want one?” Haruka offers once they start walking, presenting Sousuke with one of the fish fillets.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Mackerel,” Haruka explains. Haruka’s eyes look a bit pained as he holds the fillet out in offering, and Sousuke can tell immediately that he’s being presented with one hell of a gift.

 

“Uh, sure,” Sousuke says awkwardly, taking the stick in his hand before taking a bite. “Salty…” he mumbles idly, quickly going silent when he realizes he’s speaking with his mouth full once again.

 

“It’s the best,” Haruka nods in agreement, taking a bite of his own as they dip into the stables.

 

Sousuke figures it wise not to ask about the fish, even though he’s genuinely a bit curious. Sousuke doesn’t love many things, but food’s certainly on the list, and while it’s not the best thing he’s ever tasted, it’s certainly unique. It tastes nothing like the local catches, so Sousuke can appreciate its uniqueness, if nothing else.

 

“So which one’s yours?” Sousuke asks as they walk side-by-side through the stables. While he’s fine with camels, has ridden them many a time, he’s not really _familiar_ with them. He’s never really worked the stables, and to be honest, all the camels basically look the same to him.

 

“Mm, he’s over there,” Haruka responds quietly, pointing at one of the camels with his date-filled hand.

 

Sousuke nods silently, following after Haruka as he’s led over to the stall.

 

Haruka’s immediately petting the snout of the camel, mumbling a few greetings in a language Sousuke can’t understand, smiling when the nosy camel tries to get at the bag of dates.

 

“Gou says you used to race,” Sousuke mumbles idly, attempting to make conversation as Haruka sets aside the dates, grabbing one of the brushes from the stall, gnawing away at his mackerel as he begins to brush down the camel.

 

“Still do.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah.” Haruka goes silent for a minute or so, doing his best to stand between Ismael and the dates as he works the brush along that wiry fur. “Ismael’s getting older, though.”

 

“He looks good, at least.”

 

“He does,” Haruka smiles lightly, finishing off his mackerel and setting the stick aside before sighing in feigned exasperation when Ismael noses at the back of his head, trying to get around him to the dates. “Fine, fine. You may have _one_ to tide you over until I finished.”

 

Sousuke watches, surprisingly intrigued, as Haruka opens the pouch, offering one of the dates to the camel from a flat palm. Sousuke ends up leaning up against one of the stable doors as Haruka returns to silently grooming his camel. It takes a good, quiet-filled fifteen minutes as Haruka thoroughly brushes Ismael, then checks his feet and underside to make sure there’re no issues.

 

“You’re very thorough,” Sousuke mumbles idly.

 

Haruka glances back, staring for a moment. “Of course. He’s my lifeblood.” Haruka’s attention drifts back to the camel before he speaks once again. “Also my best friend.”

 

“Ah.”

 

Haruka gives the camel another scratch behind the ears before turning his attention back to the dates. “Would you like to feed him one?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“A date,” Haruka explains, pulling one of the hunks of dried fruit out of his pouch.

 

“I only have one hand left, are you sure he won’t bite this one off?” Sousuke jokes awkwardly as he steps away from the door, setting down the leftover stick from his mackerel, moving to stand alongside Haruka.

 

“Hand flat.”

 

Sousuke silently follows the command, holding out his palm as Haruka deposits a date in it.

 

“Hold it out to him,” Haruka commands, nodding when Sousuke immediately obeys, offering his palm out to the camel. “He usually doesn’t eat fingers, so you should probably be okay.”

 

“Haru!” Sousuke snaps, but it’s too late as the camel greedily reaches for the date, wet, fuzzy lips rubbing along Sousuke’s palm as Ismael takes the date into his mouth in one hungry bite.

 

Haruka’s snickering and Sousuke has half a mind to hit him, but he doesn’t, instead opting to gently, nervously, reach out and pat the camel along his nape.

 

“He seems like a good best friend.”

 

“He is.”

 

They end up taking Ismael out to the training range, Haruka content to show Sousuke his camel’s top speed. Haruka offers to let Sousuke ride Ismael but he declines; he’s never been particularly good at riding camels, not even when he had both arms. They spend a good hour out under the sun together with Ismael, as the day begins to shift into early evening.

 

It isn’t until the end of their little jaunt to the stables that Sousuke realizes he’s completely forgotten all about his earlier faceplant into the dirt.

 

\--

 

Against his better judgment, Sousuke finds himself outside the soldier barracks, idly pacing back and forth in front of the entrance. Even after his glorious faceplant he’d managed to hold out for another two weeks, but a repeat faceplant incident at the bath house and phantom limb sensations that are driving him absolutely insane convince him that he needs to do _something_.

 

It feels a bit like admitting defeat, finally going to Rei for help, but he just… he can’t do it. Not by himself.

 

Now to just convince himself to actually go _in_.

 

“Uhm, excuse me, do you need some he- oh my gods, you’re Yamazaki Sousuke!”

 

The squeaky, excited voice has Sousuke turning around in confusion, eyes settling on a wide-eyed, silver haired boy who’s staring at him in wonder.

 

“Uh, yes I am,” Sousuke mumbles awkwardly.

 

“I just, I’ve just attended some of your classes before! You’re just, you’re absolutely amazing, sir!”

 

Sousuke wishes he could recall this kid from the swordsmanship classes he’s taught over the years, but honestly he can’t. Even with that distinctive hair, the kid’s lost in his memory among the faces of the hundreds of other young soldiers that have stood before him. “Uh, I was okay, I guess.”

 

“But you still are! Uhm, anyways though, I’ve never seen you here before. Are you looking for someone?”

 

“Uh, yeah. Rei.”

 

“Oh! He’s working out in the field! Would you like me to take you to him?”

 

“Sure. I guess.”

 

Sousuke can’t help but sigh quietly to himself. Well, no more chances to walk away now.

 

Silently Sousuke follows after the boy, glancing around as he’s lead not inside, but behind the barracks, towards the training fields.

 

“I’m Ai, by the way! I help around the barracks. I… I didn’t pass the qualification tests for the royal guard.”

 

“Mm, apparently my teaching wasn’t that good.”

 

“No no! You’re an amazing teacher! It was just me. I didn’t prepare well enough, I don’t think. I failed the physical. It’s okay, though. I still get to work with soldiers. Maybe not the royal guard, but I really do enjoy it a lot.”

 

“Well, that’s good.”

 

When Rei comes into view, helping a one-legged soldier walk with the assistance of crutches, it suddenly hits Sousuke like a ton of bricks.

 

He hadn’t been alone when he was on patrol. It seems obvious, in hindsight, but between the opium and the pain and the recovery he just…

 

What had happened to his other men? He’d spent so long avoiding the royal guards, that he’d, he’d…

 

“Ah, Yamazaki sir! It’s nice to see you,” Rei calls out with a half-assed wave, focus remaining predominantly on his patient.

 

“Y-Yeah…”

 

“He should almost be done with his patient, sir!” Aiichirou smiles cheerfully, giving Sousuke an odd pat on his good shoulder. “Anyways, I need to get back to work. It was a pleasure finally getting to meet you!”

 

Sousuke stands around awkwardly for the next five or so minutes, watching as Rei goes through the motions with his patient, working on ambulatory movements, on weight distribution and the like.

 

Sousuke debates just leaving, honestly, angry and upset and embarrassed and just a whole pit of terrible emotions he loathes, but then Rei’s at his side and he no longer can get away.

 

“Generally, with arm amputees, we start by working on regaining motor skills in the remaining hand. I presume you were right-handed?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Well, you’re not anymore.”

 

Sousuke stares for a moment, surprised at the bluntness, as Rei moves to give his remaining arm a quick one-over. “How have you been adjusting to using your left-hand?”

 

“It’s… okay.”

 

“Being dishonest with me is just putting up needless roadblocks for yourself.”

 

Sousuke can’t help but sigh irritably. “Fine. It’s terrible. You’d think by brandishing a broadsword I’d be better at using my left hand than I actually am…”

 

“Mm, that’s normal. But ambidexterity isn’t too difficult to learn. The bigger issue will be learning to accommodate not having two hands to work with.”

 

“Hn.”

 

“Scoffing at me _also_ won’t help you.”

 

“Fine. Where do we start, then?”

 

“The most important thing is to start learning coordination and working on your motor skills. One of the easiest things to do to get comfortable with your new dominant hand is ball-catching exercises.”

 

“…Seriously?”

 

“Yes.” Rei reaches into his loose trousers, pulling out a small, soft ball. “I toss, you catch. Take as many times as you need.”

 

“I think I can handle this.”

 

Quickly Sousuke realizes that no, he _can’t_ actually handle this. It takes 7 tries before he finally manages to catch the stupid thing, and even on that seventh try, he has to juggle the ball a bit in his palm before getting it.

 

Thankfully, Rei doesn’t laugh at him. Merely asks for the ball back so they can start all over again.

 

Sousuke spends the next two hours playing ball, something he hasn’t done since he was a child with Rin.

 

\--

 

“What happened to my men?”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“What happened to my men, Rin?”

 

“You were the only survivor, Sousuke. I thought you realized…”

 

“There were _twelve_ of us!”

 

“Yes, I know that.”

 

“Eleven men of the royal guard died during that skirmish. And what exactly has the palace done about it? They _murdered_ our men!”

 

“I know that! They almost murdered _you_. But what do you expect to be done about it?”

 

“I expect the sultan to do _something_ , Rin!”

 

“You have no idea what’s been going on these last two months.”

 

“Then tell me.”

 

“No.”

 

“ _What_?”

 

“I said no, Sousuke. You need to be focusing on yourself right now, not on what’s going on here at the palace.”

 

“You have _got_ to be joking.”

 

“Do I _look_ like I’m joking?” Rin snaps, crumpling up whatever he’s working on, ink marring his hand as he throws it angrily into the nearby waste bin.

 

“You can’t keep things from me, Rin. I’m the head of your royal guard.”

 

“ _Were_ the head, Sousuke. You aren’t anymore, which means you’re no longer privy to the rulings of the royal court.”

 

Sousuke really, _really_ wishes he still had Rei’s stupid ball so he could lob it at his idiot sultan’s head right about now.

 

“Just… please, Sousuke,” Rin sighs, both hands bracing on his desk, palms rubbing at reddened eyes. “I just, I need you to focus on you. On rehab, on feeling better.”

 

“Tch, you act as though you actually care. Stop with the false pretenses of concern. I get it. I’m no longer useful, so push me to the side and force me out of the loop. Of course,” Sousuke growls, swallowing hard.

 

“What is _wrong_ with you!?” Rin growls, sitting back up in his seat angrily. “Stop putting words in my mouth, and stop acting like you know my motives! You know absolutely _nothing_ about me right now, Sousuke.”

 

“Clearly. What would _I_ know about my own best friend?”

 

“Don’t be like this Sousuke. Not right now. I can’t deal with it.”

 

“Fine, I won’t be.”

 

Sousuke doesn’t wait for a response, opting to take his anger and leave before Rin can say anything more.

 

\--

 

When Sousuke sees Haruka at the baths, he makes sure to grab two towels before entering.

 

He’s still livid over his ‘conversation’ with Rin, but after a day of physical therapy, outside and under the sun, he’s in desperate need of a good, relaxing bath.

 

And maybe, honestly, a small part of him had been hoping Haruka might be there.

 

A much-needed distraction.

 

Sousuke’s gotten a bit more into the swing of things, has figured out how to pour the appropriate amount of shampoo over his head and to fully bathe himself with minimal issue. He’s unaware, however, just how hard, how angrily he’s scrubbing his skin, until he realizes Haruka’s lazily hanging over the ledge of the pool, staring.

 

“What?” Sousuke finally snaps out. He doesn’t mean to sound so gruff, not when he was actually _hoping_ to see Haruka here, but the residual anger from seeing Rin just can’t seem to keep the heat out of his voice.

 

Haruka merely shrugs, continuing to silently watch Sousuke.

 

“Do you need something?” Sousuke grumbles irritably, finally putting away the soap. “See something to your liking? I can’t get you into Rin’s baths, by the way.”

 

Haruka frowns slightly, disappointment obvious, before eventually climbing out of the pool to take a seat at its ledge, feet still in the water. “Do you swim?”

 

Sousuke’s a bit taken aback by the question, grabbing both towels and covering himself with them as best he can as he walks over to Haruka, staring down at the nomad. “I used to, yes. Rin and I raced all the time as kids at the oasis.”

 

“Oasis!?” Haruka says, eyes wide as he stares up at Sousuke.

 

“I can’t get you in there, either. But yes. Rin’s a phenomenal swimmer. And I… I used to be pretty good, too.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah. Not that it matters anymore.”

 

“You forget how to swim or something?” Haruka asks, idly splashing the water with his toes.

 

“More like lost an arm.”

 

“You don’t need two arms to swim.”

 

“Well I certainly won’t be winning races without my right arm.”

 

“Who cares about winning? The water certainly doesn’t…”

 

“The water?” Sousuke repeats, eyebrow raised.

 

“The water doesn’t care if you have four limbs or none. So long as you accept it, it’ll accept you.”

 

Sousuke can’t help but stare before mumbling out an amused, exasperated, “you’re so damned odd.”

 

“So what’s wrong?” Haruka finally asks, leaning forward to dip his hand into the water, gathering up a palmful before spreading his fingers, watching the water drip back into the pool.

 

“Rin,” Sousuke grunts, name spit out a bit more than he means for it to be.

 

“Oh.”

 

They stay together in silence for a moment, until Haruka starts smiling and Sousuke, well, he can’t help but be a bit irritated that Haruka’s got that tiny, smug little smile over his arguing with Rin. “What’s got you smiling?” Sousuke asks irritably.

 

“Mm, I can see up your towel from down here.”

 

Sousuke’s foot flies out on instinct, kicking Haruka face-first into the pool with a squeak.

 

Haruka emerges after another moment to stare Sousuke down from the pool. “Shoving me into the pool isn’t much of a punishment,” Haruka points out. “Also, I can still see up your towel from here.”

 

“Hey!” Sousuke grumbles, awkwardly moving to take a seat on the edge of the pool, careful to _fully_ cover himself with one of the towels, setting the other aside to keep dry for Haruka.

 

“What are you and Rin, anyways?” Haruka finally asks, swimming back over to hang over the ledge of the pool next to Sousuke.

 

“Mm, we’ve been best friends since we were children. We did everything together growing up. Competed over every silly thing we could come up with. His father died while we were young. His mother was the interim sultana until he got older. He eventually became sultan, so I joined the royal guard.”

 

“That’s it?” Haruka asks idly, staring at Sousuke hard for a moment before letting his attention drift back to the water.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Haruka shrugs silently, but Sousuke knows there’s more to the question. A lot more.

 

Sousuke glances around the baths, making sure they’re very much alone before continuing. “We’re… _there_ for each other, if that’s what you’re implying. But we’re not together, no. He’s the sultan, after all. He doesn’t trust other people, really, so when he gets extremely stressed… yeah. I help.”

 

“Mm.” Haruka nods a bit, mostly to himself, before dipping back under the water for a few moments.

 

Sousuke’s not really sure why he’s talking, honestly, mind wandering to Rin as he idly swirls his feet in the water. There’s something oddly comforting about Haruka. Sousuke’s not sure what it is, really, but he has a sneaking suspicion the ease comes from just how much of a stranger Haruka is.

 

Haruka… he never saw Sousuke before the attack. He’s never known him as the head of the royal guard, as the greatest fighter in all of Samezuka, as the right-hand man of the sultan himself.

 

Sousuke hasn’t failed _him_. He hasn’t changed into a person Haruka doesn’t recognize. There’s nothing he’s ever done for Haruka that he can no longer do. Not like there is with Rin, or with Gou. There’s no more piggy-backing Gou to her room after one too many glasses of pomegranate wine.

 

Picking Rin up and fucking him into the tile wall of the sultan’s private baths?

 

Never again.

 

Seeing Gou and Rin, feeling like such an outsider when he’s always been part of that inner circle… it’s just this horrible reminder of his failures. His inadequacies. His _uselessness_.

 

Haruka, though. With Haruka, none of that lingering self-loathing hangs off him. There’s a freedom to be found alongside this strange nomad.

 

“Did you fight?” Haruka finally, tentatively, asks.

 

“Yeah. I didn’t… I didn’t realize till now, it didn’t register, I suppose, that I… that I was the only of my men to survive. I suppose it just hit me, hit me that those men I knew, _my_ men, that they all died and absolutely _nothing’s_ been done at all. _Rin’s_ done nothing.”

 

“Mm, I thought you’d die, too,” Haruka mumbles idly, returning to the edge of the pool, crossing both his arms along the marble, letting his head rest comfortably atop them.

 

“I… I don’t remember much at all,” Sousuke admits quietly.

 

“Mm.” Haruka says nothing else, eyes drifting shut for a moment.

 

“You… you sang to me, though, didn’t you?” Sousuke says after a moment, voice low and unsure.

 

One of Haruka’s eyes opens once more to catch a glance at Sousuke.

 

“I… I just remember a quiet song. I couldn’t understand anything, but it was you, right? You were trying to comfort me, weren’t you?”

 

Haruka says nothing for a moment before sighing quietly. “It was a funeral song.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“In my tribe, we bury people where they fall because we have no land of our own. But even in the haste of burial, we take the time to pay respects to the deceased. Death isn’t celebrated, exactly, but it’s not feared. On average, nomads don’t live as long as city-dwellers. It comes with the lifestyle.”

 

Sousuke isn’t sure what else to say, really, fingers idly toying along the edge of his towel.

 

“You were the first I’ve ever been wrong about,” Haruka adds lowly.

 

“Mm?”

 

“Death comes for every man and woman. Even as a child, I’ve always accepted that. Once I learned the song, I always… I always tried to sing it to those I knew would be entering the afterlife soon. It’s a beautiful, comforting song. It’s supposed to be sung at funerals, but if I can, I try to sing it to people before they die, so that they can hear it when they pass,” Haruka pauses to take a slow, deep breath. “You’re the first to hear the song from me and live.”

 

“Oh…”

 

“Can’t always be right, I suppose,” Haruka mumbles before, after another idle moment, adding a quick, “I’m happy I was finally wrong, though...”

 

“Yeah... Me too.”

 

\--

 

Over the next three weeks, Sousuke focuses heavily on his rehabilitation. He spends hours every day working on his motor skills, on tricks to get around his lack of two arms, on increasing his stamina and building up his strength once again.

 

Admittedly, he avoids Rin, instead finding most of his time spent in the company of Rei, Gou, or Haruka. They haven’t quite reconciled, and it’s easier to just avoid the situation than to try to address it. Sousuke assumes they’ll get there sometime.

 

Eventually.

 

Until then, he’s focused on his day out with Gou and Haruka. Once a month, Samezuka hosts a large-scale camel race. This month, however, is the championship.

 

Sneaking Gou through the city is never an easy feat, but breeches, boots, a cloak, and hair pinned up under a head covering has her blending in with most of the younger boys in the city. She stays close, however, because being glued to Sousuke’s side was the only way she’d convinced Rin to let her go without an ‘able-bodied’ guard.

 

“I’m so excited,” she can’t help but whisper as he three of them sift through the crowds, attempting to get to the race track downtown.

 

“Me too,” Sousuke can’t help but smile, attention occasionally drifting to Haruka, who’s a silent presence at the other side of Gou. From what Sousuke can tell, Haruka hasn’t really left the palace, so this is probably his first time in the city since he’d dragged Sousuke’s body back to the palace a few months ago.

 

“It’s over that way,” Sousuke explains quietly to Haruka, pointing down one of the streets once they reach a fork in the road.

 

“No it’s not,” Gou pipes up immediately with a laugh.

 

Haruka looks confused as Sousuke flushes. “Yes it is, Gou,” Sousuke grumbles, but deep-down he knows she’s probably right.

 

“No, it’s not. That’s towards the firelight district,” she snickers, unable to stop laughing as Sousuke palms his face with his hand in embarrassment.

 

“Firelight district?” Haruka echoes in confusion.

 

“Ladies of the night,” Gou explains with a laugh. “Boys, too!”

 

“Oh.”

 

Haruka’s giving Sousuke quite the look over Gou’s head, brow raised as Sousuke groans. “I… I may not be the best with directions.”

 

“Maybe it was subconscious?” Haruka suggests innocently.

 

“It was _not_ ,” Sousuke grumbles as Gou laughs.

 

“Sousuke’s one of the smartest men I know, but he’d get lost in a shoe box if given the opportunity.”

 

Sousuke wants to argue, but instead he just sighs, rerouting their group in the direction Gou’d ordered.

 

Gou’s paid a significant sum of coin to get them good seats, but Haruka’s excitement makes the price worth it, as he leans over the railing as best he can, trying to get a good look at each and every camel.

 

“You going to make a bet?” Gou asks Sousuke curiously.

 

“I’m not much of a gambling man. I’d probably go with 3, if I had to take a guess.”

 

“3’ll tire out by the last stretch…” Haruka mumbles, eyes still scanning the camels.

 

“What makes you say that?” Gou asks, intrigued by Haruka’s insight.

 

“His temperament and musculature.”

 

“How can you tell that?” Sousuke finds himself asking.

 

“Each camel has a very different personality. You can tell by just watching them.”

 

“Then who do you think’ll win?” Gou wonders.

 

“3 and 6 look nervous. 1 doesn’t look quite as fit as the others. 4’s pacing; he may be a bit unwell. I don’t know if he should even be racing. Mm, I’d go with 5.”

 

“Interesting to hear the perspective of a camel racer themselves,” Gou smiles.

 

“5’s not even projected to place in the top three,” Sousuke points out, glancing down at the betting sheet he’d been handed upon their entry.

 

Haruka shrugs in response, finally taking his seat, even though he keeps sitting up to get a better look at the racers.

 

The arena turns into an absolute cacophony of noise once the racers are off, and Sousuke can’t hear anything over the din. Vaguely he can hear Gou yelling in excitement, or at least he believes he does, and within a few minutes the race is over, number 5 being crowned with a wreath of flowers.

 

“I can’t believe you _actually_ picked him out, Haru. His odds of winning were so low! You could have won _so_ much money,” Gou points out, earning herself a shrug.

 

“It’s just money.”

 

“Just money could buy you a lot of dates for Ismael,” Gou points out readily.

 

“Mm, that’s what Rin’s for,” Haruka shrugs.

 

“You can’t mooch off the palace forever, Haru,” Gou teases lightly.

 

“Rin doesn’t mind,” Haruka explains easily.

 

The shift of the conversation to Rin has Sousuke tensing, glancing around for some kind of out. He’s been avoiding Rin, and the topic of Rin, for a while now. The last thing he wants is to be interrogated by Gou on why he has barely talked to her brother over the last few weeks. “Why don’t we go find a meal somewhere?” he finally suggests distractedly.

 

“Mm, that’s a good idea. I _am_ getting a bit peckish… Oh! We could go to Anita’s! Sousuke, Rin and I used to go there as teenagers. They have delicious date pies, and homemade pomegranate wine.”

 

“Their pies are so good…” Sousuke mumbles idly, stomach grumbling as though on command.

 

“Alright,” Haruka says with a simple nod, as they gather up their things and head for the exit.

 

\--

 

By the time they all return to the palace, it’s fairly late at night, and all three of them might be slightly tipsy.

 

Somehow, during the course of the evening festivities, Haruka had convinced Sousuke to at least _try_ sneaking him into Rin’s private baths.

 

Just for a peek, of course.

 

Gou had giggled over the prospect and wished them luck with the reassurance that Rin hasn’t been coming back to his room until well after 1 a.m. every night for the last few weeks, so if they’re sneaky, he’ll never even know.

 

They try to stay as quiet as possible as they pass Sousuke’s room, heading towards Rin’s, guided only by the lit candle Haruka’s carrying.

 

“His room’s huge,” Sousuke mumbles as he moves to carefully open the door, Haruka holding up the candle for guidance.

 

Sousuke’s barely opened the door, however, when there’s a gasp from inside the room.

 

“Who goes there!?” a weak, broken voice barks out.

 

“Damn,” Sousuke curses under his breath. Gou had _sworn_ that Rin wouldn’t be there…

 

“It’s just me, Rin,” Sousuke sighs out, stepping inside the massive bedroom, freezing in place as Haruka slips in behind him. “…Rin?”

 

Sousuke’s never felt sobered so quickly in his life, as Haruka’s candle illuminates Rin’s face.

 

Rin’s naked, knees drawn to his chest, huddled up against the wall between his bed and the entrance to his bath. His hair’s damp, hanging in his face, nose and eyes swollen and red with tears and mucous.

 

“ _What_ are you doing here?” Rin snaps out, there there’s not much bite to his words, his throat raw from sobbing. “Both of you…” he growls out, burying his face in his knees to hide it from view.

 

“Rin, what happened?” Sousuke asks immediately, glancing briefly over at Haruka before moving to kneel in front of Rin.

 

“Nothing…” Rin sighs out, voice mumbled by his knees.

 

“Rin! Don’t _nothing_ me,” Sousuke snaps, hand automatically moving to gently set atop Rin’s head in concern.

 

Rin’s own hand is moving immediately, smacking Sousuke’s away with a growl. “I told you to focus on your problems, not mine!”

 

“Your problems _are_ my problems! When are you going to realize that? _Talk_ to me, Rin!”

 

“The council voted to declare war in the coming week!” Rin finally snaps out, head finally lifting, only to loll back against the wall behind him, eyes squeezing shut.

 

“Oh.”

 

“I-I tried _so_ hard to stop them, Sousuke. After you got attacked I was so damnably mad! I wanted people to die for hurting you, for killing my men! And then, then I had to sit down and, and hand-write condolence letter after condolence letter to the families of every single man that had died. I, I had to attend their funerals. All 11 of them. I had to watch the families of 11 wonderful men watch their husband, their father, their son, be put into the grave. And, and since then it just keeps happening. Over and over and _over_ again. The skirmishes don’t stop. My men are dying and I keep having to- to write these damnable letters over and over again and, and I can’t even get the ink off my hands anymore,” Rin chokes out, trembling fists unclenching, the sides of both hands stained black.

 

“And if this turns into a full-fledged war, _when_ this does, how many more of these stupid, silly, _pointless_ letters will I have to write? How many children will have to grow up fatherless like I did, all because _I_ ordered their fathers to go out and die in my name!?”

 

“Rin…” Sousuke chokes out, wincing as Rin heaves for breath, tears coming hard and fast as he chokes on his own breath. Against his better judgment Sousuke reaches out, wrapping his left arm around Rin, waiting to be shoved away once more.

 

He’s pleasantly surprised when instead Rin falls weakly against him, face burying in the center of his breast. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Sousuke asks, though he’s well-aware that a lot of this… it’s his fault as well.

 

He _has_ been avoiding Rin for weeks.

 

“Because I _know_ you, Sousuke. If I ask you for help, you’ll come. You’ll drop everything to take care of me. You almost _died_. You should have died! And I just… I-I wanted you to take care of yourself for once. To not, to not worry about me…”

 

Guilt pools in Sousuke’s belly as he realizes that by avoiding Rin, he’s done exactly what Rin had wanted. He’s focused entirely on himself.

 

And in the process he’s totally ignored that his sultan, his _best friend_ , has been completely falling apart at the seams.

 

“Rin…”

 

“I-I wanted to go to you _so bad,_ Sousuke. I’m so stressed. And _exhausted_. I-I haven’t slept in two weeks. So many letters, documents, declarations of war... I-I can’t even think straight anymore.”

 

“You could ha-“ Sousuke starts, hand running idly through Rin’s messy, wild hair.

 

“No, I couldn’t. _Someone_ has to look out for you, Sousuke. If not me, then who else?”

  
“Well Gou, for one. And Rei, surprisingly. He’s certainly not been taking my attitude lately. It’s been good for me, I think, to have someone so honest in charge of my rehab.” Sousuke pauses for a moment before glancing back. “Haru, too.”

 

Rin finally glances up from Sousuke’s chest, tired, wet red eyes settling on Haruka.

 

Haruka stares at the pair of them for a moment before finally taking a step closer. Carefully he gets on his knees, setting the candle down on the ground beside them. “Turn around, Rin,” he orders quietly.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Turn around,” Haruka repeats, gesturing for Rin to move away from the wall, and instead offer up his back to Haruka.

 

Rin looks at Sousuke first for encouragement, tentatively shifting so that Sousuke’s to his side, his back towards Haruka.

 

Rin stiffens immediately when warm hands settle on the bare skin of his back.

 

“Painfully tense…” Haruka mutters as his fingers begin working along Rin’s shoulders and back, thumbs running in long, firm strokes from his spine out.

 

“You know massage?” Sousuke asks idly, eyes downward as he watches Rin’s closest hand tentatively slink to his own, settling in his palm.

 

Wordlessly, Sousuke twines their fingers together.

 

“Mm, nomads have limited access to medical care. Massage is good for preventing illness and injury, so we’re taught at a young age how to safely do it. Best to do _before_ the stress builds up so much, though,” Haruka says pointedly as Rin mumbles out an embarrassed, “sorry…”

 

“It’s fine,” Haruka sighs out, pausing to gently brush down Rin’s messy hair before returning to the slow, methodical massage. “Do you have any oil around here?” he asks, attention on Sousuke.

 

“It’s in the bedside table,” Sousuke explains quickly, carefully letting go of Rin’s hand as he climbs to his feet, moving to grab the lightly scented oil and, as an afterthought, Rin’s hairbrush.

 

He returns to Haruka and Rin’s side, handing off the bottle of oil, keeping the brush so he can gently begin working it through Rin’s hair.

 

“You don’t have to do th-“

 

“Shh, Rin. It’s fine,” Sousuke mumbles easily, running the brush carefully through that silky, messy hair, as Haruka pours some oil on his hand, rubbing it between his palms to warm it before returning his hands to Rin’s back.

 

After a few minutes Sousuke finally sets down the brush, smiling lightly when Rin’s head tilts to the side, resting comfortably in the crook of Sousuke’s neck.

 

“I can go lower, if you’d like, Rin. But we’d all need to move to the bed…” Haruka says quietly, thumbs working deep into a knot on the side of Rin’s lower back as his eyes drift to meet Sousuke's.

 

Rin hisses into Sousuke’s neck in pain, and Sousuke takes a moment to thoughtfully run his fingers through Rin’s freshly brushed hair. He knows what Haruka’s implying, of course, knows that the invitation extends beyond just the massage if Rin decides to take him up on it.

 

 _Them_ up on it.

 

Sousuke’s not sure how Rin’ll respond, really. It’s one thing for him to suggest it, another for Haruka to. To be honest, he’s not entirely sure what relationship Rin and Haruka have developed while he wasn’t around. They seem fond of one another, really, and he realizes that, by dissociating from Rin, he’s closed himself off from any relationship Haruka and Rin might have established in his medical-ward ‘absence.’

 

Gou’d spoken of their relationship fondly, however, and Sousuke can’t help but wonder what it’s actually like. What they are to each other. What they’ve _done_ together.

 

He knows for a fact that he’s the only person Rin’s ever been with it, at least up until now, and yet there’s no jealousy there. While the question is posed to Rin, Haruka’s offer is clearly extended to both of them.

 

And Sousuke intends to take it, regardless of Rin’s answer. Likely not tonight, of course, not when Rin so obviously needs to be tended to, but in the future.

 

He finds himself hoping for tonight, however.

 

For all three of them, together.

 

Despite their anger with one another over these past few months, despite the distance, he finds himself _wanting_ to share Haruka with Rin.

 

And Rin with Haruka, as well.

 

After another few minutes, knot finally worked out of Rin’s back, Rin mumbles out a response. It’s so quiet, though, and buried in Sousuke’s neck, that not even Sousuke can understand him, much less Haruka.

 

“Rin…?” Haruka asks carefully, fingers still working along the small of Rin’s back.

 

“I said alright,” Rin clarifies, voice rough and laced with embarrassment. “Just for one night, make me forget I’m sultan.”

 

For another few moments Haruka just continues rolling his palm along Rin’s back, gaze meeting Sousuke’s in silent question.

 

Sousuke knows Haruka’s looking for his approval, so he nods slightly in affirmation before carefully leaning away from Rin. “Up,” he mumbles gently, setting his palm on the ground to push himself to his feet before offering his hand to Rin.

 

Rin groans and takes Sousuke’s hand, allowing Sousuke to pull him to his feet before offering his own hand to Haruka.

 

Haruka makes sure to grab the candle, holding it carefully in one hand before reaching out to take Rin’s. “If you lay on your belly, I’ll work over your legs as well,” Haruka mumbles quietly as he’s dragged to his feet, idly squeezing Rin’s hand before letting it go. “Do you have a pitcher of water around? It’s best to make sure you’re well-hydrated during a massage…”

 

“Should be some at his desk,” Sousuke explains, letting go of Rin so he can go retrieve the water.

 

Rin nods quietly but says nothing, glancing between the both of them before shakily retreating to his bed.  

 

While Sousuke goes to fill a glass of water, Haruka sets the candle on the bedside table, moving to grab the oil off the ground before returning to Rin’s side. He pauses for a moment, and Sousuke assumes it’s to gawk at the sheer size of Rin’s lavish bed, before taking a seat at Rin’s side.

 

“Here, Rin,” Sousuke mumbles as he offers up the glass, watching Rin take the glass with a quick thanks before taking a few gulps. “Hopefully it’ll help with any headache as well.”

 

“Once you’re done, lay back down,” Haruka orders quietly.

 

Sousuke’s not sure what to do, honestly, as he’s never quite been in a situation like _this_ before, so lacking any better ideas, he takes a moment to walk around to the other side of the bed, taking a seat on Rin’s other side.

 

Rin takes his sweet time drinking the water, and Sousuke can’t help but be amused; Rin’s nervousness is clear as day, even thought he’s fully agreed to their ‘arrangement.’

 

Rin hands the empty glass off to Haruka once he’s done, before tentatively moving to lay face-down on his bed, head burying into one of his pillows.

 

Sousuke watches in intrigue as Haruka pours a bit more oil on his hands, crawling to the base of the bed, deciding to start at Rin’s feet and work his way up. When Haruka sets his fingertips along the sole of Rin’s foot, Rin immediately yanks it away with a small, affronted squeak.

 

“…Ticklish?” Haruka smiles softly, and Sousuke can just tell that that tidbit is being added into Haruka’s repertoire of Rin knowledge.

 

“You just surprised me is all,” Rin huffs, tentatively offering his foot back to Haruka.

 

As Haruka begins to work, Sousuke gets comfortable against the pile of pillows, taking a moment to scan the length of Rin’s body with his eyes, unable to help but frown. It’s very apparent, stretched out nude before them, that Rin’s lost weight. Quite a bit. It’s been months since they’ve been intimate together, or even bathed together, and time and stress has clearly taken its toll on Rin.

 

There’s a pang in Sousuke’s chest, and while he knows they both were in the wrong, he can’t help but feel guilt over his own actions.

 

Silently, he makes a promise to himself to stop pushing away those he loves, and to make sure that Rin doesn’t do the same.

 

It’s peacefully quiet as Haruka works, first massaging each of Rin’s feet before working up those strong calves. Rin begins to tense once Haruka’s hands finally make their way higher, working along those firm hamstrings, dipping into the crease of Rin’s knees for a moment before sliding back up slowly, settling just beneath the curve of Rin’s ass.

 

Immediately Rin’s hand is flying out at the contact, groping for Sousuke’s. Sousuke doesn’t hesitate to take Rin’s hand in his own, giving it a light, affirming squeeze as Haruka works his way to the outside of Rin’s thighs.

 

“Mm, spread your legs some, Rin, so I can get between them,” Haruka orders quietly.

 

Rin immediately groans in embarrassment but tentatively complies, legs shifting apart as Haruka moves to kneel between them. “I’m decidedly less clothed than the both of you…” Rin grumbles into his pillow, peeking over at Sousuke before burying his head once more in embarrassment.

 

“That a request?” Sousuke asks in amusement, choking back a laugh as Haruka immediately tosses off his top, dumping it over the ledge of the bed. “I forgot we were in the presence of a nudist,” Sousuke snickers, shaking his head.

 

“He meant you, too,” Haruka points out, staring Sousuke down as his hands work along one of Rin’s inner thighs.

 

Sousuke sighs before releasing Rin’s hand so he can grab the back of his shirt, quickly pulling it over his head. “Better?”

 

“The pants as well. I know what you’re hiding in there.”

 

“You didn’t take _your_ pants off,” Sousuke says pointedly, dumping his shirt gracelessly to the floor.

 

“Will you _please_ both just get naked already?” Rin groans, shaking his head. “If we’re to do this, at least be fair about it.”

 

Sousuke and Haruka make eye contact before shrugging, both immediately reaching for their trousers. Sousuke’s resorted to drawstrings ever since he lost his arm, and it’s easy enough to undo the tie and kick himself free of his pants, pushing them off the bed alongside his shirt.

 

Haruka apparently has stripping down to an art, and by the time Sousuke gets his pants off, Haruka’s long naked, having returned to leisurely kneading Rin’s thighs. Once everyone is equally unclothed, Haruka lets his hands wander further north, thumbs trailing the length of muscle along the outer curve of Rin’s ass.

 

“How long has it been?” Haruka asks quietly, eyes drifting to Sousuke in curiosity as one of his oil-slicked thumbs glides purposefully along the cleft of Rin’s ass, earning a surprised little gasp for his effort.

 

“You could ask me, you know,” Rin groans irritably. “And why do you assume I take it, anyways? I _am_ the sultan, after all.”

 

Haruka pauses for a moment before playfully, innocently, slipping the tip of one of his well-oiled fingers into Rin’s hole. Immediately Rin’s gasping, hips instinctively pushing out to meet Haruka’s hand in want.

 

“Because of that,” Haruka teases lightly.

 

“ _Ass_ ,” Rin huffs.

 

“Also, Sousuke told me.”

 

“Sousuke!” Rin gasps, head jerking to the side to glare at his best friend.

 

“I just said I help you when you’re stressed!” Sousuke grumbles defensively, eying Haruka in disapproval. “He made assumptions based on our sizes, I assure you.”

 

“Assumption wasn’t wrong,” Haruka smiles softly, slipping his fingertip back out only to carefully, thoughtfully, slide it back in. “And neither of you ever answered the question.”

 

“Awhile,” Sousuke shrugs. Honestly, he can’t put a date on it, other than ‘more than three months,’ because that’s how long he’s been without his arm.

 

“Anyone else since?” Haruka asks, this time his attention on Rin.

 

“Wh-what? No! Why don’t you tell us about _your_ sexual history, if you plan to interrogate us both so readily.”

 

“I don’t remember many of their names, but feel free.”

 

“Ugh.”

 

“You asked,” Haruka shrugs, finger sliding in deeper, mindful to avoid Rin’s prostate. Rin squirms at the contact, moaning tiredly, face burying further into his pillow as he relaxes into the contact.

 

Sousuke has to admit- the view is fantastic. Neither Rin nor Haruka seems particularly keen on making a lot of noise, but the silence is filled with the sound of those slick, oiled fingers dipping in and out of Rin, and unintentional or not, Rin’s hips are beginning to shift and squirm back to meet Haruka’s hand and, well, it’s quite the sight indeed.

 

It’s no surprise that Sousuke can feel himself hardening in want, legs shifting in minor discomfort, eyes never leaving the duo.

 

Haruka’s clearly in no rush, content to take his time working Rin open, making sure Rin’s thoroughly oiled and stretched before daring to add a second finger. Sousuke debates telling him that Rin’s fine, that he doesn’t particularly need to be treated so gingerly, but given the state they’d found Rin, he figures it best to let Haruka do this his own way.

 

“No pain?” Haruka asks quietly as he pushes his fingers deeper, making sure to keep his movement slow and leisurely, fingers moving in gentle circles, stretching the sultan further.

 

“S’fine,” Rin mumbles out, voice muffled by his pillow, sounding a mix of exhaustion and embarrassment and downright need.

 

“Good,” Haruka says with a nod, taking a moment to add some more oil, fingers still inside Rin as he tips the bottle of oil slightly, letting it drip down along the curve of Rin’s ass, pooling along his hole as Haruka gathers it up with the base of his fingers.

 

“How long do you plan to take?” Sousuke finally mumbles, shifting once more, staring as Haruka’s eyes drift up to meet his own.

 

“However long it takes. If you’re that desperate, Rin’s right there,” Haruka points out before returning his attention back to Rin’s ass.

 

“Hm?” Rin mumbles, head peeking out to eye Sousuke, gaze immediately trailing downwards with a snort. “Enjoying the show that much?” Rin teases lowly, gasping as Haruka’s fingers shift inside him, brushing against his prostate.

 

“It’s been months, Rin,” Sousuke points out in exasperation, head turning to the side in mild embarrassment. It’s only natural to become hard while watching a live sex show, alright?

 

“Are you _sure_ if I touch you you won’t just finish right there?” Rin teases lightly, fingers of one hand moving to idly run along Sousuke’s closest thigh, toying with the dark hairs.

 

“I’m not 18 anymore, Rin.”

 

“ _18_? 18, 23, what’s the difference, really?” Rin laughs pointedly, hand sliding down Sousuke’s inner thigh, fingers teasing along the firm muscles there.

 

“It was one time, and it’d been awhile!” Sousuke grumbles in his own defense, scowling when Haruka snickers at the sentiment. “Don’t believe him, Haru.”

 

Rin just laughs breathily, patting his palm along Sousuke’s inner thigh expectantly. “Mm, move closer,” he orders smoothly, lidded red-eyes glancing up expectantly at Sousuke.

 

Sousuke pauses for a moment, eyes drifting from Rin to Haruka, noting that Haruka’s paused in his ministrations to watch in intrigue. With a sigh, Sousuke obeys, scooting closer so Rin can reach him more readily.

 

Sousuke expects Rin’s hand, letting out another quiet, relieved sigh as Rin’s fingers move to circle the base of his erection.

 

He doesn’t _quite_ expect Rin to shift a bit, resting his chin along Sousuke’s thigh so he can wrap his lips around the tip. “Damn…” Sousuke hisses out, hand moving instinctively to settle atop Rin’s head, eyes fluttering shut momentarily.

 

“What are his teeth like?” Haruka asks quietly.

 

Sousuke’s eyes immediately re-open in surprise, meeting Haruka’s, noting that, for how good a poker-face the man has, Haruka’s teeth are nibbling on his lower lip and Sousuke’s _far_ from being the only hard one in the room.

 

“I don’t _bite_ people,” Rin pulls away to grunt, sending Haruka an unimpressed look before returning his lips to Sousuke, tongue gliding along that seeping tip, hand firm on the base.

 

“They’re good,” Sousuke sighs out, fingers threading through Rin’s soft red hair. “They look sharper than they are, but the feel… it’s different. Nice.”

 

Sousuke glances back at Haruka, and he can see the want there, the curiosity, plain as day. But despite Haruka’s obvious desires, he forces his attention back to Rin, back to preparing him, to slowly working up to three fingers.

 

Rin works his lips along the side of Sousuke’s length, but he can’t reach the base with his mouth, not in the awkward position they’re settled in. His left hand is clumsy (Sousuke knows the feeling), but he does his best anyways, palm slipping underneath Sousuke’s sac, giving it an affectionate, teasing squeeze.

 

“Rin…” Sousuke groans, shivering when Rin’s hand leisurely slides upwards, along the crease between groin and thigh, moving to settle and toy amongst the hair framing Sousuke’s shaft.

 

It’s one of those odd, intimate little pieces of knowledge between them; Sousuke’s always enjoyed the sensation of having his pubic hair toyed with, and often, sleepy and post-coital, Rin finds himself running his fingers affectionately through the coarse, dark hairs.

 

Rin still has the tip of Sousuke in his mouth, lips toying along the curve of that head, but it doesn’t last for long, as he gasps out in surprise, dick slipping from his lips, fingers clenching into Sousuke’s hair a little rougher than intended.

 

It’s immediately obvious to Sousuke, judging by the pleased little smile on Haruka’s face, that the sudden pressure on Rin’s prostate had been very, _very_ purposeful.

 

“Have all the fun you want, but try not to surprise him so much he actually _does_ catch me with those teeth…”

 

Haruka shifts in his seat, doing his best to ignore his own erection, as he returns to focusing on Rin.

 

“How long do you plan on taking?” Sousuke finally asks, because while he’s all for thorough preparation, Rin isn’t _that_ fragile. Yes, it’s been awhile, but the excess is a little… odd.

 

“However long it takes.”

 

“It’s not his first time.”

 

“Mm.” Haruka says nothing more, continuing to diligently work away.

 

“Feels good anyways,” Rin mumbles against Sousuke’s thigh, fluttering a few idle kisses along the bare skin there before tentatively returning his lips to that seeping tip, tongue darting out to catch the small smattering of precum forming.

 

“So uh… who’s going to go first, anyways?” Sousuke asks, still trying to figure just how this situation is supposed to work as he instinctively shifts closer to Rin’s mouth. Are they taking turns? Is Rin even okay with that? It’s not that Sousuke’s never bottomed before, but he’d like to at least get a warning. Perhaps a quick dip in Rin’s bath if needed…

 

“I’m not an opium pipe to be passed around, you know.”

 

“Well you told us to help you forget who you are. And I know how you like it,” Sousuke says pointedly.

 

“I _can_ still change my mind, if so inclined,” Rin retorts immediately.

 

“You can go first,” Haruka cuts in before anything can get heated between the two of them. “And if Rin’s willing to do more at that point, then we’ll go from there.”

 

Both sets of eyes fall in Haruka for a moment, then on each other, as they finally nod in tandem.

 

“Alright.”

 

“Is he ready, then?” Sousuke asks, noting Haruka’s frown. “You’re up to four fingers, Haru…”

 

“Hmm…” Haruka seems a little skeptical, but he finally, tentatively nods, removing his fingers. “If Rin thinks he’s ready, then yes.”

 

“Rin?”

 

Rin groans, giving Sousuke’s thigh another quick kiss before weakly trying to push himself up onto his elbows. “I feel like goo,” he half-whines, finally, with much effort, dragging his knees underneath himself so he can sit up.

 

“Need help?” Sousuke offers, immediately presenting his hand to Rin.

 

“Mm, I’m alright.”

 

Rin takes a moment, leaning back on his knees, before straightening himself out.

 

It’s hard to explain why, really, but a small part of Sousuke is oddly nervous as Rin turns his attention on him. There’s a mildly uncomfortable fluttering in his belly, maybe because it’s been so long, maybe because this is the first time Rin’s really taking in the ‘new’ him, or maybe it’s just the presence of an unexpected third member. Either way, however, Sousuke has to force himself to take a slow, easy breath, as Rin shifts closer.

 

“Are you alright, Sousuke?” Rin asks, brow furrowing slightly in concern.

 

“We’ve done this a hundred times before,” Sousuke grumbles in feigned exasperation; okay, so maybe there _is_ something off about him, but Rin doesn’t have to point it out, especially not in front of Haruka.

 

“Alright…” Rin mumbles, taking a moment to glance back at Haruka, clearly somewhat embarrassed that they have an audience, as he moves to straddle Sousuke’s lap.

 

Sousuke’s arm moves immediately, hand carefully settling on the small of Rin’s back, offering him some stability as he moves to take a firm grip on the base of Sousuke’s erection with one hand, the other wrapped around Sousuke’s shoulder for support. Rin pauses for a moment, eyes downward as he lines Sousuke up to his hole, before his attention slowly drifts back up, red meeting teal.

 

There’s a lot of weird emotions between them, anger and exasperation and apology, three month’s worth of pain and frustration all culminating into this one moment, into this one gesture, as Rin leans forward, catching Sousuke’s chapped lips with his own before slowly, carefully, lowering himself downwards.

 

To Sousuke’s surprise, it’s not Rin who gasps as he pushes in but _Haruka_ , blue eyes wide and lusty and wanting as he watches the pair of them with an intense, voyeuristic gaze.

 

Sousuke didn’t know he had it in him, but as Rin leans his head forward, tilting against Sousuke’s shoulder to collect himself, Sousuke’s eyes meet Haruka’s, holding that stare for a moment before Sousuke’s hips suddenly shift upwards, _hard_ , forcing himself deep into Rin.

 

“S-Sousuke!” Rin gasps, unprepared for the movement because Sousuke _always_ takes it slow, always lets Rin set their pace.

 

So apparently Sousuke’s a little bit of an exhibitionist.

 

Who knew?

 

“Rin, you should turn around…” Haruka mumbles breathily, hand drifting to his own erection as he shifts from his knees to sit cross-legged, stare unwavering.

 

“Nngh?” Rin huffs, shifting a bit on Sousuke’s lap, trying to quickly adjust to having Sousuke’s rather large member jammed into his prostate. It’s not that it’s painful so much as it’s just _sudden_ , and it’s hard to focus on two people at once as he lifts his head, glancing back at Haruka in confusion.

 

“You should turn around. So I can see you,” Haruka repeats evenly as he stares expectantly at Rin.

 

Rin seems a bit put-off by the idea, shifting quietly atop Sousuke’s lap.

 

“Mm, you should, Rin. Let _Haru_ see you,” Sousuke drawls out breathily against Rin’s ear.  

 

Sousuke’s honestly not sure what’s gotten into him, really. There’s something about Haruka that brings out both the best and worst in him, brings out his competitive side. But now that he’s been given the reins, given first dibs, he really, _really_ wants to show off.  

 

To show _Rin_ off, even.

 

“Ugh, not you too…” Rin groans pathetically, pulling his head back from Sousuke’s shoulder to give him a displeased look.

 

“Come on, Rin.”

 

For a moment Rin just sits there awkwardly, squirming on Sousuke’s lap before finally groaning in annoyance. “Fine…” he hisses out, and though it’s dark in the room, Sousuke can see the redness flushing Rin’s cheeks.

 

Rin slips off Sousuke’s lap with an oomph, making sure to scowl at the pair of them for subjecting him to this as he turns around, facing Haruka, before straddling Sousuke once more. Sousuke holds his own erection steady as Rin carefully impales himself once more, both hands on the bed before him for both stability and modesty as he chokes on his own breath at the penetration.

 

“It doesn’t count if you cover yourself…” Haruka says with a frown, getting on his knees to scoot closer, trying to catch Rin’s eyes with his own as his hand settles gently, expectantly, on one of Rin’s slender wrists.

 

“I don’t know where you two get off, telling the sultan what to d-“

 

Haruka’s other hand quickly moves to cover Rin’s mouth, head shaking. “Not the sultan for tonight, remember?” he says quietly, thoughtfully, watching as Rin’s eyes widen for a moment before squeezing shut in acknowledgement. “No need for shyness, Rin,” Haruka adds, hand moving aside to cup Rin’s cheek as he leans forward to place a gentle, reassuring kiss along the edge of Rin’s lips. “You’re beautiful.”

 

Sousuke can swear he hears an embarrassed little squeak make its way out of Rin, but he’s well-aware Rin will deny the noise till the day he dies.

 

Reluctantly, Rin moves his hands aside, red eyes following Haruka as he kisses down Rin’s jawline, to his neck, lips sucking and teasing on that pale skin before drifting downwards, hand moving to trace down the curve of one of Rin’s pectorals, fingers skimming along one of those nipples.

 

Rin gasps at the contact and Sousuke can’t help but snicker; it’s another thing Rin will deny till the day he dies, because he’s always felt nipple-play to be a decidedly feminine thing, but his chest has always been _ridiculously_ sensitive.

 

Sousuke’s always enjoyed messing with his nipples just to annoy him.

 

With Rin distracted by the mouth working his chest, Sousuke takes it as the cue that he can finally move. He’s done his best to sit back and keep his calm, but he _is_ currently balls-deep in someone and he’s only human. He really wants to move. Now.

 

Unlike that first, exhibitionist-fueled thrust, he keeps his movements slow and deep this time, letting Rin relax and grow comfortable on his lap.

 

By the time Haruka makes it to Rin’s erection, tiny little mouth taking all of Rin that he can, Rin’s squirming and shifting, hips meeting Sousuke’s, thrust for thrust.

 

Sousuke keeps his arm wrapped around Rin’s belly for support, one of Rin’s hands buried in Haruka’s hair, the other holding a death-grip on Sousuke’s thigh. It’s not the most comfortable position, really, but it’s doable, and if Sousuke angles his head just right, cheek to Rin’s temple, he can watch each delicious suck beneath him.

 

Haruka clearly knows what he’s doing, black hair hanging in his face as he alternates between sucking and licking and kissing and lapping, making sure to work his lips along the base just as much as he lolls his tongue along the tip, fingers working diligently along the soft skin of Rin’s balls.

 

Rin’s quickly becoming an overwhelmed wreck, torn between moving back to meet Sousuke and moving forward to force himself deeper down Haruka’s throat, and the more Haruka sucks the more Rin groans in need, lips heaving and parted, fingers clenching into Haruka’s dark hair.

 

There’s something to be said about having a second person around able to give the sultan what he wants.

 

Sousuke’s not really expecting it when he feels Haruka’s fingers brush against his own length, trailing along the edge of Rin’s stretched hole.

 

It’s an unexpected sensation but an absolutely _amazing_ one, because while Haruka may not have large fingers, he certainly has deft ones. As he alternates between toying them along Rin’s sac and idling them around Rin’s entrance, Sousuke finds himself groaning. He’s not Rin, of course, but those fingers, slick and wet, tracing leisurely circles where his dick meets Rin… they’re wonderful.

 

“Have you ever taken more than just Sousuke?” Haruka quietly asks, lips still working diligently along the side of Rin’s length, tracing light, playful, fluttering kisses between each long, hard suck.

 

Rin shakes his head, choking out a barely audible ‘no,’ as lidded, lusty, exhausted eyes stare down at Haruka in a mix of surprise and confusion.

 

Haruka merely nods to himself, suddenly pulling away, earning an unappreciative, whining little mewl from Rin as his fingers fall limply out of Haruka’s hair.

 

It’s not very becoming a sultan but it’s cute, and Sousuke supposes he won’t tease Rin this time, not when the name of the game is Rin being de-crowned for a night.

 

Haruka takes a moment to slip away and grab the bottle of oil once more, pouring some oil along his fingertips before putting the bottle back on the bedside table and returning to Rin.

 

“Wha-?” Rin starts, but the question’s lost in his throat as Haruka’s fingers return to tracing the rim of Rin’s entrance.

 

It takes a moment for Sousuke to register what Haruka’s game is, but the picture becomes much clearer as Haruka returns his oil-slicked fingers to Rin’s hole, mouth moving to once again claim the tip of Rin’s erection.

 

As usual, Haruka takes his time, never one to rush, making sure to suck and tease Rin as he blindly attempts to work a finger alongside Sousuke’s length.

 

Sousuke… well, he’s not exactly sure what he should be doing, really. Haruka’s quiet and mysterious, and apparently has no intention of keeping either of them in the loop as he makes decision after decision for the three of them.

 

Should Sousuke slow down? Will Rin be okay? Rin hadn’t been lying; they’ve never attempted to add anything more to Rin than Sousuke himself.

 

Sousuke’s teal eyes widen as realization smacks him straight in the face.

 

Suddenly it makes _much_ more sense to Sousuke why Haruka had spent an exorbitant amount of time preparing Rin. Stretching him. _Relaxing_ him.

 

Haruka can’t seriously be expecting for Rin to…

 

Oh gods.

 

Oh _gods_.

 

Sousuke’s can feel himself hardening, hips moving a little more erratically with each purposeful thrust, at the sheer thought of… of them both…

 

No. No. Rin will _never_ agree to it. Sousuke certainly wouldn’t, in his place.

 

Rin bitches and whines that Sousuke _alone_ is too big. There’s no way he could possible take a seco-

 

The thought is forced from Sousuke’s mind as Haruka’s finger finally slips in alongside him, warm and wet and foreign and _wonderful_. The friction is delightful, as Haruka’s finger shoves in while Sousuke pulls out. The opposing movement is interesting and delicious, and outside of a gorgeous, hot body, Sousuke’s beginning to realize that there are more than just a few perks to having Haruka there with them.

 

“Gods…” Rin wheezes out, grip on Sousuke’s thigh tightening, body tense.

 

“Relax, Rin,” Haruka mumbles out quietly, though his words are a barely audible, wet mess because he doesn’t bother to pull his mouth away from Rin’s erection before speaking.

 

“Easy for you to say,” Rin grumbles irritably, shifting and squirming atop Sousuke’s lap as he attempts to adjust to the added intrusion.

 

Sousuke’s always had good sexual endurance, has prided himself on it, really, but the extra tightness of Haruka’s fingers is just _doing_ things to him, and it’s a struggle to keep his movements leisurely, to not push himself immediately to climax. He wants to come, desperately so, because it’s been far too long since he’s been with Rin, but he can’t. He won’t.

 

Not when there’s still the prospect of _both_ of them inside of Rin. He will happily endure slow, sexual torture if it means he gets to experience _that_.

 

When Haruka manages to work up to two fingers, Rin’s groaning out his name, breathy and weak.

 

By three, Rin’s clinging to Sousuke’s thigh like a lifeline, breath hitched and uneven.

 

“Rin…” Haruka mumbles, pulling away from Rin’s erection to trail a row of kisses along Rin’s abdominals, working up towards his nipples, followed by his collarbone. “How much do you want to forget who you are?” Haruka asks carefully, kissing along Rin’s sweaty jawline, blue, inquisitive eyes shifting back and forth between Rin’s eyes and Sousuke’s.

 

“What…?” Rin mumbles in confusion, head attempting to shift only to realize he’s thoroughly pinned, Sousuke’s cheek resting along one temple, Haruka’s lips working along his opposite jaw.

 

Sousuke braces for it, for the moment of truth, for when Rin finally realizes what Haruka’s been angling at since the moment this all started.

 

“Would you be willing to try to take _both_ of us? Together?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“At the same time, Rin.”

 

“ _What_!?” Rin snaps immediately, inadvertently knocking into Sousuke’s face as he jerks his head away from those sensual jaw kisses. “Are you trying to _kill me_ , Haru? I’m a human being, you know. We aren’t meant to, to do _that_.”

 

“It’s not impossible, Rin. Not if you’re well-prepared.”

 

“If you’re so confident then _you_ do it!”

 

Sousuke’s thrusts have instinctively come to a halt, because he has no intention of interrupting, or distracting, from this battle. He knows what he wants, of course, what he really, _really_ wants, but he’s figured this would be the outcome.

 

No way Rin would subject himself to something so extreme.

 

“With another hour or two of prep I would,” Haruka shrugs, and Sousuke’s left to wonder if Haruka actually _has_ done this himself. “But I’m not afraid to try new things, of course.”

 

Sousuke has to choke back the urge to snicker at the clear baiting. So _this_ is what Gou had been referring to when she said Haruka had a way of riling up Rin.

 

Exploiting Rin’s ridiculous competitive streak _has_ always been the best way to get him to do things he wouldn’t otherwise.

 

“I’m not _afraid_ ,” Rin spits out with a scowl. “But unlike a jobless nomad who has the luxury to spend all day parking himself at any body of water he can find, _I_ have a job to do. A job that involves sitting on a throne at meetings all-day tomorrow.”

 

“Mm, I thought you weren’t the sultan tonight,” Haruka says, voice light and airy and _challenging_. “But excuses, of course.”

 

“You’re insane.”

 

“You’ve already taken three fingers, Rin.”

 

“ _Fingers_ , Haru. Not a second dick!”

 

“Rin,” Haruka repeats, voice light and soft as he pulls away slightly, letting his palm rest along Rin’s spare cheek, eyes keeping a firm gaze on Rin’s. “You’re well-prepared. As intimidating as it all is, I can assure you that, should you give in, the mind-numbing pleasure will be like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. Sousuke and I will do absolutely _everything_ to not hurt you, and if it’s too much, we’ll stop immediately. You make all the calls, I promise.”

 

Rin stays silent for a moment, trying to catch his breath and calm his nerves as he turns his head slightly to eye Sousuke. “And you? What do _you_ want?”

 

“It’s not my decision.”

 

“ _Sousuke_.”

 

Sousuke sighs. He’d been hoping not to be dragged into the discussion, but leave it to Rin to force him into it anyways. “I’d never hurt you on purpose.”

 

“I know.”

 

“I don’t want to pressure you into doing something you don’t want to do.”

 

“I know.”

 

“But…” Sousuke can’t help but pause, thumb of his hand idling along the curves of Rin’s abdominal muscles. “But I’d be lying if I claimed to be uninterested.”

 

Haruka looks beyond pleased at the revelation, staring expectantly at Rin, waiting impatiently for the verdict.

 

“It really _is_ pleasurable?” Rin finally asks after another moment, suspicion lacing his voice as he turns his attention back on Haruka.

 

“Extremely. A bit like a runner’s high, I suppose? Pushing your body to its theoretical limits and then beyond.”

 

“I can stop whenever I want?”

 

“Of course.”

 

“No matter how close either of you are, no matter if you’re losing your minds, if I say stop, it stops immediately?”

 

“Yes, Rin,” Sousuke adds in, idly placing a reassuring kiss along Rin’s damp temple.

 

Rin seems skeptical, of course, and knotted in nerves, but finally he glances between the pair of them and slowly, tentatively, nods.

 

“Is that a yes?” Haruka asks immediately looking for clarification, as Sousuke’s grip around Rin’s waist tightens instinctively in excitement.

 

“Yes. But I call all the shots!”

 

“Of course,” Haruka smiles softly, hands shaking in thrill.

 

“Does this mean I can finally move?” Sousuke asks with a groan, shifting his hips a bit, pushing further into Rin.

 

Haruka nods immediately, pulling away from Rin so he can once again retrieve the oil. This time he focuses on preparing himself, not Rin, slathering oil on his painfully hard erection before turning his attention back to the pair of them. Idly he rubs the excess oil onto his thighs before setting each hand on either side of Rin’s knees. “Lean back against Sousuke, so I can spread your legs,” he orders quietly, eying Sousuke for a moment to make sure he’s alright with the added weight.

 

Sousuke nods immediately in approval, tightening his grip across Rin’s abdomen, offering up stability as Rin nervously, tentatively, settles all his weight back on Sousuke so he can spread his legs before Haruka.

 

“Beautiful…” Haruka mumbles to himself as he lets his hands drift from Rin’s knees to his inner thighs, palms tracing along the firm muscles there. Haruka takes it slow, of course, moving to capture Rin’s lips in his own as Sousuke steadily, carefully, begins to pump his hips, movements shallow and focused.

 

“Daaaamn…” Rin sighs out against Haruka’s mouth, eyes drifting shut as Sousuke sets a steady, easy pace. It’s a bit awkward trying to push into Rin with Rin’s entire weight resting on him and only one arm to work with, but Rin’s not huge and he’s quite used to Rin being atop him anyways.

 

“Are you ready?” Haruka asks, one hand drifting to give Rin’s erection a few idle strokes as he waits for approval, lips idly kissing along Rin’s cheek and jaw.

 

Rin remains silent but finally he nods, lips parting in a gasp with each loving, fond pump of Haruka’s hand.

 

Haruka keeps the movement up for a little longer before finally pulling away, settling one palm on the smooth of Rin’s inner thigh, gently pushing Rin’s leg back towards his shoulder. He scans Rin’s face one final time before moving closer, on his knees, to settle between Rin’s legs.

 

Sousuke can feel it the minute Haruka’s tip presses up against Rin’s hole, and he can’t help but sigh into Rin’s hair at the sensation. It’s overwhelming enough for Sousuke that he can’t even _imagine_ how Rin feels in this moment, on the verge of pushing his body to its limits in the pursuit of pleasure.

 

Haruka keeps the pressure light and easy, not planning on forcing anything as he moves his hips closer, gently thrusting against Rin’s thoroughly filled hole.

 

Rin’s hands are shaking as they fly out to cling to Haruka’s shoulders, red eyes staring down nervously. He can’t really see anything (neither can Sousuke), but he’s certainly trying, as he squirms in his seat.

 

“Rin, focus,” Haruka admonishes quietly, leaning forward to catch Rin’s lips with his own once more.  

 

Rin’s always been a lover, an absolute romantic, and so those gentle kisses seem to work wonders on him as he relaxes some against Sousuke, trusting Sousuke to keep him secure.

 

It takes another minute or so of gentle pressure and reassuring kisses before finally, suddenly, Haruka’s tip slips in.

 

Sousuke gasps as Rin chokes- Haruka’s barely inside Rin but the addition is… it’s obvious and it’s filling and it feels absolutely _ridiculous_ against the base of Sousuke’s dick. It takes everything Sousuke has in him to not thrust, to not force that delicious friction because they can absolutely _not_ rush this, libido be damned. He will never, ever forgive himself if he hurt Rin like this.

 

“Rin?” Haruka breaths out heavily against Rin’s lips, expression a mix of relief and concern.

 

Once again, Rin doesn’t respond, eyes wide, fingers digging crescents into Haruka’s bare shoulders as he braces and heaves for breath.

 

“Take as long as you need,” Sousuke mumbles against Rin’s ear, thumb running easy, gentle circles along Rin’s tensed abdomen, trying to help him relax, though at this point that’s probably a pipe dream at best. How can someone _possibly_ relax in Rin’s position? 

 

It’s a silent minute or so, Sousuke idly rubbing Rin’s abdomen, Haruka giving him loving kiss after gentle kiss, as Rin does his best to breathe again. Finally he nods, fingers digging into Haruka’s shoulders once more in a go-ahead.

 

Once he has Rin’s approval Haruka begins to move; his thrusts are steady and shallow and slow, just enough to drive Sousuke insane while providing zero actual relief. Once Haruka’s deep enough, nearly halfway in, he removes his hand from the base of his erection, instead taking a hold of Rin’s other thigh, pushing it up off the bed as well, fully spreading Rin out.

 

“Damndamndamn…” Rin whines out breathily, toes curling as Haruka leans into him, inadvertently pushing him back against Sousuke.

 

Sousuke lets himself rest back against the pile of pillows for support, holding Rin as steady as he can with only one arm, purposefully opting not to move. He’s not in a good position for it, really, and honestly, he trusts Haruka to set the pace moreso than he does himself.

 

The sensation of both of them shoved deep inside Rin is like nothing Sousuke’s ever experienced before, and it’s quickly messing with his head. It feels absolutely, _wonderfully_ tight, and as Haruka moves against him, it creates this ridiculous, _delicious_ friction Sousuke never wants to end.

 

Honestly, it’s taking everything Sousuke has in him not to come right there. The pressure, the insanely tight squeeze… it’s just _too damned much_.

 

He feels a bit better when he glances over Rin’s shoulder and realizes that Haruka is clearly no better off than he is. Haruka has a sheen of sweat across his forehead, brow furrowed in deep concentration as he does his best to hold his position, to not push Rin too far too fast. “Rin…?” Haruka finally chokes out, desperate for the approval to move, but frozen in place until he gets it.

 

Rin’s only response is to whine out Haruka’s name, and Haruka can’t help but glance at Sousuke, hoping for a translation.

 

Sousuke’s not sure what’s going through Rin’s mind, really, because he most clearly is not all there as he clings to Haruka’s shoulders for support.

 

“Just… slow…” Sousuke mumbles incoherently, hoping Haruka gets the message.

 

When Haruka pulls back only to slowly push back in, methodical and deep, Sousuke can’t help but groan as Rin cries out. It’s a loud, teeth- gritting, whining kind of noise, like nothing Sousuke’s ever heard before, and as much as the lust and heat sets in, Haruka rubbing so _perfectly_ against him, his lips are against Rin’s ear in immediate concern. “Rin, are you alright?” he asks quietly, nervously kissing the smooth skin along Rin’s sweaty jaw.

 

Rin groans but nods, and once again Haruka begins to move, each thrust slow and measured.

 

Every time Haruka pushes in, Rin cries out, but it’s quickly becoming apparent that it’s pleasure, not pain, that has him squirming and overwhelmed and beginning to tear up as he chokes on his own breath and digs dark red marks into Haruka’s shoulders.

 

It’s inevitable, of course, that none of them last particularly long. Sousuke’s got three months of celibacy working against him, as does Rin, and Haruka, well, no matter how disciplined he may be, there’s no preparation for the sensation of grinding into a ridiculously tight hole, stuffed full of another man.

 

Though Sousuke’s not keeping tally (except he most definitely is), Sousuke’s pleased when it’s Haruka that finishes first, thrusts becoming slightly more erratic than intended as he pushes himself over the ledge, coming deep inside Rin.

 

The added slickness of Haruka’s come has Sousuke instinctively moving his own hips up into Rin, and as Rin cries out, loud and guttural and animalistic as he clings desperately to Haruka through his climax, Sousuke can’t help but tumble over the edge.

 

For a minute or so they all just lay there in an uncomfortable, slick pile of sweat and come, Haruka doing his best to both catch his breath while giving Rin’s face a one-over, making sure he’s still alive, while Rin heaves for air and Sousuke does his best not to complain about the weight of two grown men bearing down on him.

 

Eventually, however, Haruka tentatively pulls out, gently releasing both of Rin’s legs as he leans back on his knees, staring blatantly at the come dripping down Rin’s ass and onto Sousuke’s sac beneath him.

 

Rin whines immediately, one hand shakily moving to fall over his own face, rubbing at his wet eyes in embarrassment as both of his legs thump lifelessly to the surface of the bed. He tries to get up, to pull himself up off of Sousuke, but he fails spectacularly with a whine, finally opting to gracelessly roll to his side with the help of Sousuke’s shaky hand.

 

Once free, Sousuke sits up, desperate to both stretch out and air out his poor, sweat-soaked chest, attention shifting to Rin, who’s taken to curling into himself pathetically with a groan.

 

”O-oi!” Rin finally manages to grunt out when Haruka leans forward, face far too close to Rin’s ass for comfort, taking a moment to gently run his thumb along the wet, stretched rim.

 

“It looks okay…” Haruka mumbles, idly scooping up some of the come dripping out of Rin’s hole with his fingertips, reaching over to playfully run it along Sousuke’s chest.

 

“Oi! Weirdo…” Sousuke grumbles, shoving at Haruka with his hand in disgust before setting his palm on Rin’s shoulder. “Are you alright, Rin?” Sousuke asks, shaking his head as Haruka continues to not-so-subtly examine Rin’s stretched hole.

 

“Y-yeah…” Rin groans out, finally using one of his shaky, weak hands to shove at Haruka’s face. “Stop staring, you creep.”

 

“So stretched…” Haruka mumbles to himself, ignoring Rin’s hand.

 

“Ugh, don’t you have a bath to be inspecting?” Rin groans, attempting to kick his heel at Haruka.

 

“R-Really!?” Haruka says, eyes widening as he stares up at Rin with hopeful, shining blue eyes.

 

“It’s why you’re here, isn’t it? You were just inside me, Haru. I’m pretty sure we’re at the point where you can use my bath.”

 

Haruka is out of the bed and out of sight in under 5 seconds, earning a snort from Rin and an amused chuckle from Sousuke.

 

“We need to get cleaned up, too,” Sousuke points out quietly, thumb idling smooth circles along Rin’s shoulder.

 

“Ughhh, give me a few minutes. I couldn’t move if I tried,” Rin groans, finally rolling into his back with a lifeless grunt, head lolling to the side to stare exhaustedly at Sousuke.

 

“Mm, alright,” Sousuke acquiesces, opting to stretch out a bit before lying down on his side alongside Rin. “I still can’t believe he talked you into that,” he can’t help but mumble after a few minutes, earning himself an impressive scowl.

 

“Shut up.”

 

“Was fun, though.”

 

“Mmm…”

 

“Was it as good as he said it’d be?”

 

“Why don’t _you_ try it next time and see for yourself?”

 

“Hm. Maybe I will.” Sousuke lays quietly for a moment, hand moving to rest on Rin’s head, fingers idling through Rin’s damp hair. “So… can we keep him?”

 

“I don’t think Haru’s meant to be kept…”

 

“Mm, true.”

 

“But for as long as he’s willing…” Rin mumbles into his pillow, eyes shifting towards the bathing area. “I don’t see why not.”

 

“Mm, good.”

 

“Agreed.”

 

“So… you think he planned it all?”

 

“Probably. And to think, before tonight I was beginning to wonder whether you two were together or not…”

 

“Really?”

 

“He _was_ spending his time taking you places and bathing you, after all.”

 

“Gou said you two had hit it off. I… I was beginning to wonder myself. He spoke fondly of you.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah,” Sousuke can’t help but laugh lightly in hindsight. “I didn’t know what was going on, but I wondered. And to think, his plan after all that was actually _this_.”

 

“Sneaky nomad,” Rin snickers.

 

“We’ll have to punish him later, I think.”

 

“Agreed.”

 

\--

 

“Don’t let go of our hands, alright you two?”

 

“I know, Princess Matsuoka! Just promise not to lead us into the desert and dump us there, please?”

 

“Rei! We would never.”

 

“ _I_ might.”

 

“Sousuke!”

 

“What? _You_ try doing rehab with him every day.”

 

“We’re not dumping anyone in the desert. And before either of you say anything, yes, the blindfolds are necessary. No one but the royal family and head of the royal guard is to know of this location.”

 

“It’s such a long way from the palace…”

 

“Of course it is, Rei. Do you really think the sultan’s private oasis _wouldn’t_ be kept far away from where people might wander?”

 

“Oasis…”

 

“Haru, focus! You’re going to trip if you keep daydreaming, and I only have one hand left. I _will_ just let you fall on your face.”

 

“We’re almost there, you two. Just a little while longer.”

 

When they finally make it to the oasis, both Haruka and Rei flanked on either side by Gou, Sousuke and Rin, Haruka looks like he’s about to jump out of his skin.

 

Or, more than likely, his clothes.

 

Rin makes them both stand still for a moment, ushering to Gou to take a spot behind Rei as, in tandem, they each remove the blindfolds from Rei and Haruka.

 

“And this, my friends, is the royal oa- Haru!” Rin shouts as Haruka immediately sprints away, clothes flying every which way as he darts to the water. “Get back here, you fool! We were supposed to race!” Rin shouts, immediately making chase, bolting towards the water after Haruka.

 

Gou’s laughing at her brother while Rei looks first at the oasis, then at Sousuke, before smiling. “So, shall we get started, then? Rin gave me access to the royal libraries in preparation for today. I managed to find a lot more text than I thought I would explaining the swimming strokes, and how to swim with only one arm.”

 

“Really? That’s surprisingly helpful,” Sousuke mumbles, watching out of the corner of his eye as Gou immediately goes to find a nice spot under the shade of a palm to start reading her most recent (likely debaucherous) novel.

 

“It is! Anyways, why don’t we get started, then? We can stay in the shallowest parts of the water, of course,” Rei explains as the pair of them head towards the water, doing their best to ignore Rin’s shrieking and cursing as he chases Haruka through the water.

 

“Why the shallows? Once I get going, we can move out further, yes?”

 

“Well ah, that would be…”

 

“Mm? What is it, Rei?”

 

“I-I may have… we live in the desert, Sousuke.”

 

“…And?”

 

“I may have never ah, learned how to swim.”

 

“Seriously?”

 

“Seriously,” Rei nods affirmatively, hand nervously moving to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

 

“Well then, perhaps you should learn?”

 

“W-what? Here? Right now? _Today_?”

 

“Why not? I used to be an excellent swimmer, you know. Perhaps, for one day, the teacher becomes the student?” Sousuke prods expectantly, kicking lightly at the edge of Rei’s foot with his own toes. “You teach me, I teach you. Only seems fair, yes?”

 

“Ah, well…”

 

“Oh just do it, Rei!” Gou yells from her spot against the three. “Show me the muscles! All of them! _All. Of. Them._ ”

 

Sousuke can’t help but snicker as his attention shifts between Gou, noting the red flushing across Rei’s cheeks at Gou’s heckling.

 

“Well I ah… I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to learn. And if I know how to do it myself, it’ll help me to better explain things to you as well…”

 

“Oh come on, just do it,” Sousuke laughs, slapping his hand affectionately against the small of Rei’s back before casually heading towards the water, eyes idling on the two very unruly, very naked men attempting to race one another through the oasis.

 

It’s been five months now, since he’d nearly died and Haruka had waltzed into their lives like a sudden sandstorm.

 

The war, while still ongoing, has been rapidly heading towards an end, and the sultana has stepped in for a day to allow Rin some much-needed time off. Tomorrow, Rin returns to being sultan, but for now, he’s allowed this moment of freedom amongst those he loves.

 

Life grows easier over time, as Sousuke becomes more accustomed to his new, armless life. And while a part of him still grieves, always _will_ grieve, for his lost limb, the hatred and self-loathing has mostly ceased.

 

Acceptance is far easier now, with two beautiful men at his side, and he finds himself looking forward to what tomorrow may bring, to the future that they will all forge.

 

Together.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Tags: near-death, maiming, mentions of suicidal thoughts, double penetration, ONE OF THESE TAGS IS NOT LIKE THE OTHERS, lolol. 
> 
> For anyone curious, the prompt was: SouHaru, splash free/Arabian AU. Up to you, but I'd love to see a situation where Haru rescues Sousuke from some fate and he ends up indebted to Haru in more ways than one. Prince Rin doesn't necessarily approve of his grand vizier/bodyguard's new 'friendship' (given Haru isn't native to their country, wherever he's actually from), but he's willing to let Haru have it. BP for HaruRin friendship growing as SouHaru gets progressively romantic.
> 
> Obviously I took some liberties, namely turning it into a full-on threesome (WITH PERMISSION I PROMISE), but I hope you still enjoyed it, Sierra! Sorry of the porn was slow, this was my first threesome and let me tell you, three people's body parts are super hard to keep track of. Even if I cheated and only had to keep track of 5 arms *cough* Also, please don't hate me for maiming your fave, I have a terrible habit of mimicking canon in my AUs, lol. ALSO, I hope you can forgive me for how uh, insanely overdue this is, heh.


End file.
